


Steven Diamond

by Dragonrusher21



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 15:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 51,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8019994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonrusher21/pseuds/Dragonrusher21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diamond AU: Instead of Rose having given birth to Steven we have Yellow Diamond as the deceased mother. Steven was raised on Homeworld and considers himself loyal to Homeworld. Yet, when he makes a foray to Earth he finds new things that entice him. Including the Crystal Gems. Just how will this young one react to the rebels and what will happen to his loyalty?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The hybrid diamond

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. This is just the first chapter if a story I already housed on fanfic.net, but decided to also put it her. Be sure to comment or leave a kudos and subscribe to the story if you enjoyed. Be sure to follow me on my tumblr: http://dragonrusher21.tumblr.com/ (if the AOOO doesn't like links as much as fanfic.net then just look me up on tumblr please.

P.O.V: STEVEN DIAMOND

 

My feet tapping on the sterile dark brown floors. The halls illuminated by a yellow glow. The environment is absolutely sterile, not a single germ or flaw. The way everything is here. It’s pleasing yet tiring at the same time. Though I can’t imagine it is for other gems though. Compared to them I have to rest at an astounding rate. Coming next to a door, I place my left hand over the hand shaped print next to it. In the palm is a diagram I’m all too familiar with. To the left is a yellow upside down triangle, to the right is a blue one and on the top is a white one. The diamond matriarch insignia; something that is plastered just about everywhere on this damn planet. The door opens in reaction and I move forward with what I was doing. Walking over to the large security console. I stick my hand into the console; unbecoming of someone of my status, but I have stuff to do. 

Something catches my interest,” the last file opened was mine?” My interest has been piqued by this. Has someone changed something in it? 

It’s tedious because it’s so long, but I read over my file just to see what was o’ so important to edit. Name: Yellow Diamond. Cut: N/A Facet: N/A. Gem: Yellow Diamond. Well at least that is normal as it can be for a hybrid. I change my attention elsewhere. Was the picture used for the file changed? No, that’s the same, the dark brown hair I have. The fact that I’m short for gems, but that’s because I didn’t come out fully mature and I actually have to grow up. And from what I know about humans I’m not even tall, for someone my age at the age of twelve. In the picture I’m wearing typical regal garb for a diamond. A black and yellow shirt and matching pants.And a cape with odd pointed shoulders. It was when I was young and I still have them because I don’t come with clothes pre-packaged like regular gems. Next up to check is the long long bio over me: Yellow Diamond. Hybrid offspring of Yellow Diamond in an attempt to make an evolved type of gem. Much more capable of taking on any rebellions that spark. It did cost her her life, because rebel gems interrupted the process. But she was soon replaced by the offspring. Trained from conception to be a stoic leader. Truly the next evolution in gem kind. I skim over so much of the bio to save myself from an overly long biography and gratuitous amounts of praise. I go on to the last bit on the next page. 

“What? WHAT,”’ I shout in outrage. There’s a message I’ve only seen when it comes for other gems because a diamond should never ever see it! The last part is restricted from even me? A diamond! One of the three head honchos of the entire damn race!?

“Who was the last one that opened this. I’ll have them open it for me and then I’ll have them shattered,” I scornfully say. 

The last one to open this was...lovely. The one gem that did open this and can tell me what I want is one of the few gems I can’t just boss around to my heart's content. The gem that opened it is a Peridot: Facet- 2F5L Cut- 5XG. The exact number of one of my primary tutors on this planet. Teaching me the finer points of things, culture, rules, how to lead and speak as a leader. Giving me rigorous text to studies and plenty of files extending over 1000 years of gem history. Speeches from my mother to study and even recordings of the other diamonds giving speeches. It’s taxing and tiring and at the end of our sessions my brain is normally left all to numb from dealing with all the stuff she has me do. 

In the top right of the screen a small emblem show itself. Someone has just called for me. With the press of a button the image feed is opened up. On the other side is my pearl, inherited from my mother. 

“What is it now?” I inquire. 

“I’m sorry my diamond to interrupt you, but one of your primary tutors is calling for you.” 

“Which tutor?” 

“The Jasper. Facet- 3G1S and Cut- 9XF,” she answers. 

“Thank you, Pearl. That’s all.” I end the feed with her. Once I’m sure the call closed I groan. Jasper is the one that handles all of my physical training. I may be an aristocrat, but history has shown that there are times when even we may actually need to be doing things ourselves. Their still is animosity and unrest at Rose's Rebellion. It was awhile ago, but it still happened. So there’s been a push for bolstering our strength, and I’m pivotal to that. A new type of gem with unexplored abilities, my existence itself is as a stabilizing factor. 

Heading down the sterile halls of the base I don’t see a single gem pass me by. There’s never been many gems to ever walk these halls.The place is way to big for it’s own use. Many rooms just flat out empty with nothing in them. And the halls are large as all hell, for the fact that if any diamonds come to visit; the halls need to be easily over 15 feet high. It’s uncomfortable walking around areas that are so oddly huge for someone my size, but as I grow older things should feel more comfortable. My mother was one of the 15 foot tall giants. I easily should become taller later in life, but for now I am simply the shortstop of all gems and especially for aristocrats. Turning to my left I see the training area, specially made for me. It’s just a ring with a variety of weapons on the sides ranging from battle axes, swords and spears. Along with plenty of gem destabilizers. The other weapons are primitive compared to the latter. Recent tech and powerful weapons. Capable of destroying any gems light based form leaving only a hapless gem. They don’t work on me because I actually have a physical form to work off of and not just an effigy of light. 

“It took you long enough to arrive here,” the rough voice of Jasper pesters. This Jasper was chosen in particularly because it served in the war and was a leading squadrons in the war. The other diamonds and their courts saw nothing less than fitting for her to be the one to be my tutor. 

“You know better than anyone else that this place if far too large for it’s own benefit,” I answer stepping into the ring. From my belt, I draw a Gem destabilizer. These are made for training; having low power and it takes a significant amount of hits and time to actually cause a gem to retreat back into their gem. And even then they reform after not too long. 

Seemingly without warning Jasper has drawn hers and thrust it forward. I move to the side easily dodging the device,” keep your stance low and even,” she says as I maintain a steady evasion. Careful to keep myself away from the prongs of the destabilizer. 

“Don’t lose balance,” she lunges forward ready with the weapon. 

I take quick action to circle around and jab her in the back. The weapon doesn’t even seem to faze her. She’s turns around ready with not a hint of trepidation. “Good. Managing to get around the blind spots and holes of an opponent.”

“What? Do you think I never listen to a single lecture you give me,” we circle each other, the only attack this weapon can do is a thrust and it’s too flimsy to go against a sword or any other object, so patience and timing is key. 

I guess I could ask her a question that’s been racking on my mind,” Jasper, did you know someone has edited my file,” I bring up. 

“Yeah, Peridot did it, didn’t she?”

“You don’t think I didn’t know that?” 

“Watch the sass.” 

“Oh please I sass who I want, but did you know that the last part of my file even I can’t open?” 

“What do you want me to do about it,” she inquires,” open it for you?” 

“If you could that’d be great.” 

“If they don’t let you in what makes you think they’d let me in?” 

“Peridot can be blindsided fairly easily. How many times can you count that she’s let a loop hole slip past?” 

She stops, looks to the sky and thinks,”... you have a point,” she concedes nodding her head.

There it is my opening. I take my chance and launch forward brandishing; brandishing my destabilizer and thrusting it forward. Jasper’s only response is a counter attack of stepping forward and using her longer reach to her advantage to hit me before I can even get within striking distance. The destabilizer sends a strong tingling feeling rupturing throughout my body. Sure, I can’t get poofed, but I’m half gem. Having half of my physical form be jumbled isn’t a pleasant feeling. Jasper pulls the device away and I fall to my knees struggling to catch my breath. I can’t honestly answer the question if I was just being cocky or damn stupid when taking that chance. 

“Next time you try to hit someone in the gap of their armor, make sure they can’t see it coming from a mile away,” she advises. 

“Lesson learned,” I groan,” now come along and open the rest of my own file for me.” 

“If you insist my diamond,” she answers heading to the nearest console which isn’t too far because there are so many rooms here that consoles are just thrown in every so often.

She opens the file to the last page,”...this isn’t going to go well,” she mumbles under her breath. 

“That’s all I’ll take it from here, go,” I tell the warrior gem ordering her to leave me to my own devices. 

My intrigue is peaked by her words. How can a simple file page make things go wrong? With one quick skim of it I can quickly see why Peridot didn’t want me to see it. Because it’s over the one things about me that they never told me about. My human side. I know I’m half human, but I know nothing about the home of my father. I don’t even know the name of the planet, let alone where it is on our star maps. Well I shouldn’t say I have heard of it and the name and even location; it’s just never been told that there is even sentient life on that rock. This little part is the gold mine for my self-exploration. Not only telling me the name and location of the home of my father, but his name and even where he is on that planet. The planet is Earth, the one being used for the cluster experiment. I guess I’ll give orders to postpone that for the time being. The location is a place they identify as Delmarva. And the name… Greg Universe? 

“I suppose that this would lead to Universe being my last name, would it?” On homeworld I was only ever identified as Yellow Diamond, or by my subordinates I was just called my Diamond, but Universe? It’s… got a ring to it. 

I nearly fall over when a video feedback to my Pearl is opened back up,” Jasper do you-, oh my Diamond, apologies I thought Jasper was on this console at the time.” 

“Stop that and move to the point,” I command. 

“Of course my Diamond, Peridot is calling on you now,” she answers. 

“That Peridot,” I ask.

She nods,” can’t have a second of any down time,” I mutter ending the feed. 

I head through the halls to the personalabs of the Peridot. She used to be just a meager teach worker, but she managed to have some success with some forced fusion experiments letting her rise through the ranks. Eventually she managed to get to the place where she worked directly under me and she became a manager over a great many of gems in the process. She’s managed to maintain a stable record, but the higher her rank the more increased are the expectations. And one of her expectations is teaching me how to walk, talk and act like a Diamond Matriarch. And from what the others in my court and even the other two Diamond’s courts seem to think that she’s succeeding. Though it does wear on her, I’m outside of the door to her lab and I could hear her screaming things at one of the orb bots. 

“YOU DAMN CLODS, JUST-, GGGRRRRAAHHHH,” she rants loudly. 

“The sound of someone having a terrible time,” I answer walking through the door,” music to my ears.” 

She looks over her shoulder. She didn’t expect me to show up so soon. She stops hunching over and straightens herself up, making sure all of her floaty finger things are gathered to from a hand and not moving wildly all over the place,” my Diamond,” she answers. 

“Yeah, that’s me, I have plans, so hurry this the hell up.” 

“Of course my Diamond,” she picks up a tray with seven small grey-ish tablets.

“Explain,” I command. 

“These are nutrient tablets, instead of you having to take multiple ones, I managed to wrap them all into one,” she tells me.

On homeworld there is no food, but as a half human I still require nutrients. So the they would feed me tablets with all the essential vitamins I need. It’d get tiresome having 50 bland tasteless pills day after day. So this is a welcome change. I go ahead and pop the pill into my mouth. Even now, there is no taste to it, but it’s better doing it once than a hundred times,” this is passable,” I tell her leaving the room. 

“YESSSSSS,” I hear from outside the door, she just got some recognition from her Diamond, most gems would literally kill for that. 

With nothing left to do today I move to something more personal that’s been on my mind since I’ve read about the homeworld on my father's side. I want to take a short visit. I’m sure that if I actually did this the legit way, it’d be rejected by White Diamond so fast. She barely let’s me even go to any other planet than homeworld. And the only time I do it’s for what can be called an extended business trip. Checking on things and only there to go and come back. But, not this time. There’s no purpose for the empire of me taking a trip to Earth, but it’s purpose is for me. 

Just me. I head to the only room in this place built to my scale, my own room. It’s simple and plain. The bare bone essentials that a half human gem could have. A bed I use all to often. A closet that has all the cloths I have to wear; ranging from the regal clothing I wear almost everywhere, to the regular clothes that I only wear when I’m positive I’m not going anywhere in the view of any other gems aside from a very very small group of my tutors, my pearl, and the other Diamonds pearls and on the rare occasion I get an unannounced call directly from the other Matriarchs. It doesn’t take me much time to decide which set of clothes I’m taking. 

I stuff them all into a small pack which isn’t hard because they’re light based garments. That when not in use take the form of small void black boxes; along with it I stuff in some random items that may come in handy. I’m not even too sure how I got the box though. I think I accidentally took form Peridots lab, but never returned. I also stuff in 5 military grade Gem Destabilizers in there. On the shelf is something I prefer to forgo wearing. It’s a thin black band that goes around my wrist. It’s a communicator I don’t like wearing because interruptions are not things I think fondly of. It lacks any video functions, but it does work at unfathomably long ranges. I can also record logs into it to keep track of the trip. I think I have a good amount of things for the trip. I just need to suspend the Cluster Experiment and then I’ll be off. I place my hand to the door and it opens, but someone unexpected is on the other side. 

“JASper,” I belt out startled and in an undignified manner. 

“Apologies my Diamond,” she answers.

“What is it,” I ask. 

“I was here to tell you that Peridot’s been having trouble checking on the Cluster experiments,” she tells me. 

I divulge my attention away from the trip for now. “What’s the hindrance?”

“The robonoids aren’t fixing the galaxy warp.” 

“Then tell her to fix the programming,” I push past her. 

“Where are you heading with the box,” Jasper ask. 

I freeze in my steps. I consider my responses and when I speak. I speak articulately and carefully,” Peridot was wondering where this box went, so I figured I might as well give it back. Who know’s? It may even help with the robonoids.” 

Jasper examines me precariously,” if you say so,” she answers turning away, but keeping her eyes on me as we walk away from each other. 

I turn in the nearest corner and lean against the wall heaving for breath. I was sure Jasper woulda caught on, but I guess she didn’t have time to question me. Well I have to hurry to the ships and escape pods. If she doesn’t realize it now, I’m damn sure they’ll catch on later. And the other Diamonds are going to be pissed. But, being a renegade for a bit might be something I find fitting. Moving at a brisk pace I head to the escape pods. I’ve never used one, but I did receive some lesson from Peridot. I don’t remeber them to clearly, but I do remember most of it. And it can’t be that hard to use an escape pod. Heading to escape pods we have, I search for one that can make the trip. I clamber into the odd green escape pod. I fall in headfirst; struggling to correct myself because they’re tiny. Managing to correct myself the pod seemingly comes to life on it’s own. 

“What planet do you desire to go to,” it ask in that metallic voice. 

“Earth,” I answer. 

“Request pending….no planet under that name found.” 

“What!” I calm myself, it stands to reason that they wouldn’t let me go there this easily, but Peridot has shown me a loophole to get around that.

I open the panel and reach towards the inanimate gem that powers this. And look for the settings option. I change it from voice command to manual. It’s thought that the feature was completely removed, but it's been left in there. “Manual setting chosen,” the computer speaks. 

Changing the setting, I manually type in the coordinates of Earth on our star maps. With a rumble the the thing begin to go,” FINALLY,” I exclaim. In my hurry for celebration, I bang my head on the roof the the pod. I wince in pain, which only causes me to fall forward. Further throwing the balance off in the pod which sends it hurtling towards Earth in an odd position. 

It takes me awhile to finally correct the position of the escape pod. I sit down to just wait the journey out. Raising the band around my wrist I begin to speak,” Log date: 5- 12- 02. I have begun taking a trip to the planet of my father’s lineage. It had a rocky start, but now the trip is going well. I should arrive at Earth on 5- 12-03. I’m not eager to see this planet, especially when it’s going to end so soon, but I’d like to at least meet one of my parents. End of log.” I lean back to rest, to make the trip go by quicker.


	2. New kid on The block

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With our young Diamond finally reaching Earth. He does meet up with his father and finds the experience to be lack luster. Only amused at Beach City and the quaintness of it, but only to be trapped in fear when he sees a group of gems Homeworld told him long dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Dragonrusher21 here. I'm just here to say thank you for all the positive feedback. I'm actually surprised, by the amount of followers I got just for one chapter to this story. I appreciate the reviews you guys leave and the favorites. If you have any questions, just leave them in a comment and I'll try to answer it. Don't feel bad or timid to message me on my fanfic.net account, here on AOOO, or even on my tumblr. All of the username's are the exact same because I have the creativity of a potato.

P.O.V: Steven Diamond

I'm thrust awake by the craft shaking like hell," what the hell," I look up at the screen and see the composition of Earth's atmosphere. It's much thicker than I anticipated, and this escape pod won't survive the landing.

I quickly do my best to make sure the landing is as I can. I know that this "Greg" person lives in this area of Earth called Beach city, Delmarva. I aim it as best I can near the city, making sure it's enough of a distance that it won't cause too much trouble.

The pod skids against the ground and comes to a stop smashing my face into the glass of the pod," I swear the next thing I have Peridot do, is fix these things!" I nag to no one, punching the glass right off of the pod because it refused to open.

Stepping out, I'm on a hill overlooking the human settlement. It's a conglomerate of square structures with these path's cutting in between. There's a beach not to far outstretching an ocean. Quite unoriginal of an idea that it's called beach city. There's an odd stench to the area, that kinda sour. And machines on these circular objects going down the paths. And a multitude of those human's walking around some going into the building and some coming out. It's just strange to me at least. Looking down from up here I can see that they're all so… unique. Unlike on Homeworld where I can look from one of homeworld's many bases and find plenty of alike gems; numbering in the thousands. Here I can't find any two that look alike. They even wear different things. I knew from my experience on homeworld that humans were different, but here. I can truly see how different humans are from gems. But, I can't spend any time delaying meeting my father. I take the box with all my belongings for this week long trip; heading down into the city.

Inside the human city blending in isn't too hard. I get a single glance and then I'm passed over. I guess the extreme cases of diversity I don't appear to strange. I mean the most looks I get is my yellow gem on my chest. But, I guess that they just are desensitized the odd variability of Earth. According to what I gathered about the small bit of info on my father. He takes a job at this place called "It's a wash". I don't exactly get what that means, but I don't get most of the stuff Earth has to offer. I eventually come to the place dubbed "It's a wash". In the path leading up to it is a large vehicle on the side is written Mr. Universe. I'm already beginning to regret my trip to Earth.

"Hm, someone there," the man says that I take is my father. He comes out wearing grey pants and a thick sweater and a receding hairline. Probably wearing the thick clothing to abate the cold. After all right now the Earth is going through what they call "Fall"? Whatever that means, I'm not familiar with the term. I manage to keep my face from going to it's scowl position.

"Um, you lost kid."

"At a loss for words yes," I answer. Still befuddled how my my mother/ A DIAMOND decided HE would be a good candidate.

"What?"

I inhale preparing myself to answer," well I am here, because I do believe a man under the name of "Greg Universe" is my father."

A wave of panic washes over my face," who's your mother?"

"This will take long and I'm not standing in the cold. We're moving inside," I command.

Inside I explain to my father the whole thing about the diamond matriarchy, and why I'm even here in the first place,"so, let me get this straight. The person I danced with was a ruler of an alien species?"

I nod," and somehow through an odd manner, she had you?"

I nod again," and you're going to be a future ruler and the first hybrid between the two species?"

I nod some more," and you're here of your own volition to visit for a week?"

"For the last time the answer is, yes."

"Sorry, it's just, this is a bit much to take in."

I scoff," really? You're taking it better than I'd thought you would."

"Weird things happen quite often here," my father tells me, which catches my attention.

"What kind of weird?"

Right on cue with my words, a large cacophony of sound erupts from somewhere outside," what was that?"

I rush outside and my father follows suit. What I see leaves my a mixture of stunned, confused and fearful. I see four, four gems all fighting a corrupted gem not down next to the large body of water, they dub an ocean. All donning a star insignia somewhere on there outfits. From here I can see something spectacular, a defective Amethyst gem wielding a three parted whip, a pearl is fighting and doing well for a servant. A fusion using two gauntlets, that's the only one that seems to make a bit of sense for fighting a corrupted gem monster. Though just those three are concerning enough the last one strikes terror into my human heart. It's a gem wearing a white dress, flowing pink curled hair. In her left hand is a sword and in the right a shield. I know this gem, not personally, but from countless history lessons. She is and was the leader of the failed rebellion, a rebellion going under the name of the "Crystal Gems". She's Rose Quartz.

On self preservation instinct I cover my gem with my arms," uhhh, that's what I mean," Greg says, not even getting the severity of the situation.

"What are they doing here?"

"Probably fighting that thing," Greg spouses. He's right, but that's not the answer was looking for.

I step back into the car wash terrified. I thought Rose and her entire rebellion's army was dead. And now I find out that the person that what's to grind my gem into a fine powder, is still alive and well, and right here! "Uh, kid you alright," my father ask me.

"No, you pebble! I am not! The leader of the failed rebellion is here on this rock! And I'm not getting off of this place for a week!"

"Woah, slow down there kiddo. Just take it easy," he advises.

Despite being human he's right. I stand up and straighten my posture and regaining my composure. I'm a diamond I can't show weakness at anytime, not even in front of my own father. "Calm yourself, I'm fine."

"You sure, you seem kind of panicked. You can tell me," he consoles.

I consider my choice of actions for a moment. I could just not tell him, but I feel like his lack of knowledge on that will get me shattered. Then again, he doesn't look like the kind of person that can keep his mouth shut. So, either way I run the risk, but telling him would produce a less of a risk. So I guess that that's my only suitable option. But, how ill I exactly phrase that the person over there would want to kill me in a split second. Or the fact that it's still shameful to the entire empire that we could even lose. And it's still seldom talked about and usually in hushed whispers.

"Hm, fine. I'll tell you, but keep this solely between us. Those gems over there are what remains of a rebel army."

"A rebel army?"

"Yes, and that large one with the pink hair. Is a Rose Quartz that led the rebellion. The entire fiasco was enough to reduce the number of matriarchs number from four to three."

"...is that bad?"

"Considering the diamonds are the leaders yes, it's something that still baffles to this day."

"I suppose."

I roll my eyes at him. He doesn't get the severity of things," those rebels...the Crystal Gems. are something that's supposed to have been smashed to bits so small, you shouldn't have been able to see it with a high power telescope."

"The Crystal Gems?"

"Yes, that's the name they gave themselves as they rallied against homeworld."

"Homeworld?"

I sigh," Homeworld is the central hub for all gems. The planet the entire species hailed from. Unlike meager humans we don't bother giving it elaborate names like Earth, Jupiter or Saturn."

"Saturn...you pronounced it wrong….," he tells me.

"Oh like I care, about one of the thousands of useless plan-," I stop when an ear shattering roar rocks through the air.

"There still not done fighting those battle damaged gems," I ask poking my head outside watching the rebel gems lead the beast away from the human civilization.

"If they don't leave they'll see my gem and everything will go down hill from there," I mumble underneath my breath.

"Hang on I might have something for that," my father says rushing over towards the van outside.

I raise a slight eyebrow wondering what he's doing? He grabs something and comes back in holding something in his hands," here. This should cover up that uhh… gem," he says handing me a piece of cloth.

I stare at it for a moment,"... what is this?"

"A shirt," he answers.

"OH! So these are what shirts are like on Earth," I examine the fabric.

"Aren't you wearing one right now?"

"The shirts on Homeworld work differently than the primitive one's you have on earth," I show him by simply taking the shirt off. It's been designed for ease of putting on and ease of getting off. I simply pull away at it and it shifts into a light based form retreating into a black spherical shape.

My father's stunned at what my own clothing just did. It's not really all that amazing. I don't come pre packaged with clothes, so these suffice. The shirt is fairly basic. It's short sleeved and a brilliant yellow matching the color of my gem. On the center of the chest over top where my gem is located, is a side view of a round cut diamond in black. It's not the same cut as the diamond I actually have, but it will work. I begin to examine the fabric unsure of how to use it. Human things are so weird, so archaic and so god damn old fashioned and crappy.

"...how does this work," I ask him.

"Oh, uh, sorry I'll help you with that," he awkwardly gives me aid with putting on this "shirt".

Once I have it on I move around in the strange fabric," why does this have to be so restrictive," I mumble continuing to move around trying to get comfortable in this. Unlike the light based clothes this has definite restrictions on movement.

"Human tech is so weird," I bemoan.

"Well, it must seem pretty archaic to you," my father suggest.

"Definitely. Though considering that this species doesn't even have FTL capabilities, much less warps… they manage to continue their survival."

"...what?" My words have gone right over my father's head.

"It's...nothing."

A large crash emanates from outside this time closer," oh no. Please tell me they didn't break anything," my father laments heading outside.

"Dammit wait! Those rebels are still mucking about," I tell him, but I follow him myself and outside my heart nearly stops.

Right in front of me is the entirety of those rebels are standing here. The fusion takes the corrupted gem. She forms a bubble around and sends it off with a simple gesture. "Are they going to harvest it," I whisper underneath my breath.

"Oh, Rose, uhhh, hi," my father says greeting the giant among us. Rose Quartz the leader of the rebellion.

"Ah, Mr. Universe. I apologize for any disturbances," she kindly remarks," oh. Who is this child."

I don't know what to say! I don't have an Earth name! I've always been called yellow diamond," It's Steven," my father answers for me. For once I'm grateful for his input.

Rose Quartz turns to me. Kneeling down to be on eye level with me. "Why hello Steven Universe."

I keep my calm facade, but on the inside I'm screaming bloody murder. I take a step away from the rebel leader hiding behind the van with "Mr. Universe" scrawled across. Poking my head out from the corner watching them. "Oh, sorry about that he's a shy kid," my father says rolling with it.

"It's alright, I understand. Besides I find it adorable," Rose Quartz says looking over at me.

"Yeah, you know what I always say, if every porkchop was perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs," both my father and Rose laugh at the small quip. I'm left wondering what the hell is a porkchop or hotdog?


	3. The girl with the glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under the new moniker Steven, our young diamond takes note of a passerby that peaks his interest. They seem to hit it off until the one gem he fears enters in and cuases an unforseen and seemingly unsolvable issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew and here comes another chapter do dooda doooo!!! the reaosn these are coming out so fast is that I'm trying to catch up Fanfac.net with this one. So as soon as your caught up don't expect daily uploads. Regardless the memo is the same as before kudos, comment and subscribe if you enjoy and check out my tumblr which's URL is the same name as the one here: Dragonrusher21

Both my father and the rebels make small talk until the gems leave to go betray some other planet or whatever those pebbles do. "That was crazy. You are crazy. They're crazy," I lament.

"I think you just need to relax, possibly have a snack, lay down and sleep for the night," my father tells me.

"What do you mean sleep, it's not even half the day is over," I tell him.

He looks at me like I'm crazy," the sky's gone dark kiddo, the moon's out too, that means it's night."

"What," I look up at the sky and he is right; thing have darkened," strange it's much too early."

I check the time on the band around my wrist," it's not even….oh right. The day/night of Earth is much quicker than that of Homeworld's."

"I'll decline sleeping for now. I am interested in this eating thing."

"...what?"

"Eating. I want to try it at least once while I'm here."

"...you haven't eaten ever," my father ask.

"No, all the vitamins I need have been given to me through other manners."

"Geez, that's rough," he comments.

"It's quicker than having to sit down and take in nutrients from things already harvested. The diamonds have assigned more important things to me that that."

"But, eating the best thing since sliced bread!"

"...considering that you humans have been slicing bread for quite a while...that's disappointing."

"...that was a metaphor, but hang on," he says fishing something out from his vehicle," here these are Chaaps."

He tosses the package towards me and I take it,"...and what do I do now," I ask shaking it.

My father sighs," c'mon let me see it," I hand it back to him and in one swift motion the bag is opened."

"Eat up," he says handing me back the bag. Inside it's a reflective foil and a bunch of fried and processed thin earth things called "Potatoes".

I stick one in my mouth… I like it. Possibly because I have no taste to compare it too, because this is the first thing I've ever eaten with taste implemented into it for a reason. I swallow the food with enjoyment...at least until it hits my stomach that is because I'm hit with a sudden realization. I'm hungry. I've never realized it because I always was there and I thought it wasn't anything. Just kinda there, and nothing given much; if any thought. We knew I needed nutrients, but not that I had to eat! Now that I can feel it, I'm so regretting this. SO! VERY! MUCH!

I fall face forward onto the ground," Gah, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"

"More food please," I choke out.

After a brief foray into filling the gaping hole that was my stomach for roughly 12 years of my entire life span. I manage to regain my composure and stand back up," well that was...an experience," I dust myself off. Still with the aftertaste of some food in my mouth.

"Yeah, it's getting late and," my father yawns, I've heard it's a thing humans do, but I've never done it if I recall," it's a good time to actually go to sleep."

"You do that. I'll stay awake until I'm ready to actually rest," I respond to him.

My father sighs. Doing another one of those odd human things," ...if you say so," I guess at this point he's just too tired to actually argue.

With him sleeping in this van. I decide to take my place by climbing on top of it and sitting down. Examining the night sky of Earth. Peridot had me meticulously study star maps, allowing me to always find Homeworld in all of our charted space. I trace my finger along the stars. Going over any important hubs to us and eventually placing it dead center on the most important shining light in the sky. Homeworld. Homeworld seems so small from here, though it's one of the larger dots in the sky; from here it looks so small. Since I've been here I've noticed that it's easier for me to move. After all my body doesn't adapt to every planet like other gems. Which isn't surprising because Homeworld is actually larger than Earth. Yet, despite the difference in size. The dot that stands out, looks small. Truly ironic that a dot so small and far away packs more of a punch than this entire planet. The entire strength of an armada spanning galaxies all viewable in something so small from here. Truly an ironic kind of tale.

The blackness of Earth's sky gradually fades away and turns colors ranging from a red, orange until staying on blue. And what I assume are movements of Earth's tectonic plates keep on causing the grounds to gradually shake. I get weird looks from passersbys, but that's to be expected. Since it's mid day I examine the behavior of these full breed humans. And it's all so varied, so I decide to look for the common in all of their behaviors. I presume it's not everyday the see a kid sitting on top of a car due to their weird looks. But, out of it all I notice an irregularity. One girl who didn't give me an odd loon and only gave me a small glance and did the motion humans use as an excuse for a vocal hello. Waving her hand while showing me her palm. I imitate the gesture and she just goes on her way. That girl was the only one to not give me weird looks...interesting.

I can hear my dad get out of the van yawning," overslept did I? Had an especially weird dream about having an alien son," I can hear him mumble.

"Not one on the phantasies that occur when we sleep, I'm still here," I remind him.

"Ah….right."

"Question," I announce.

"What?"

"That girl. Dark skin. Glasses with pink lenses. Wearing a dress and a sunhat. Heading towards the large sandy area where the sediment meets the expanse of water. Who is she?"

It takes him a moment to process what I told him," you mean the one that goes over to the beach to read?"

"Notes made: she goes there to read. And that is identified as a beach."

"Why you askin about her?"

"She's...peaked my interest."

"Oh ho ho ho. Has someone gotten a crush?"

"...you're using a verb as an adjective...good job."

"...wow. You are innocent," I'm puzzled by his words,", but if you're interested in her, why don't you go down by the beach and talk to her."

"Because the rebel's headed to the beach and what if they're still there?"

"Relax. As long as you don't tell them that you're...a diamond matriarch? Then everything will be fine," he consoles.

I'm skeptical, but he has a point," I'll be back, but I am taking this," I tell him. Taking out one of the 5 gem destabilizers I brought with me.

"Just don't stay out too late," my father reminds me.

"I can lead an entire empire I'm pretty damn sure I'll stay out as late as I want," I retort heading towards the beach.

The roads of this human city are paved with a material called asphalt. Incredibly archaic and it cracks easily, but it's better for creating large scale projects with limited resources, so I can knock humans for this to much, but it's inferior to homeworld. The earthquakes that erupt every now and again have caused some minor damage, but they're gradually growing worse. But, something turns my attention away from the shaking ground. There's a small shop that emits an odd aroma. I like it; I'm not even sure what they're serving, but I take note to go there one day. It's called "Fryman"? I'll have to ask my father for some of that paper currency. But, I'm not here for food right now. That girl has piqued my interest. I stand on a rocky cliff edge hanging high over the sandy beach. The girl is right below me reading an archaic report. Poor place to just sit yourself down and read. This cliff could fall at anytime, much easier when there's earthquakes every few minutes of growing severity.

I take the path leading down the side of the cliff closer to the girl. To my left was the girl. Absorbed in that report, unaware of my presence, you there. The one in the glasses," I say.

She looks up a bit startled by my words," who are you," she ask.

"You should read somewhere else. Those rocks are gonna fall. They'll crush a human," I advise her, but she only gives me a weird look.

What did my words make her uncomfortable," Steven. Are you making a friend," I know who that voice belongs too. My first instinct is to get as far away from the owner of it as fast as I can. Without thinking I'm running in any direction that's not here. In my rush to get out of here. I ram my face right into the cold stone wall of the cliff-side. Smacking into it with such force that cracks form. I knock the sense out of myself and fall backwards onto the sand.

"Why you really are anti-social," the rebel leader Rose Quartz comments.

Ignoring the disorientation. I get up and move away from Rose Quartz, getting myself closer to the human girl…. Maybe I can use her as a shield of sorts? "Wha-, what-," the girl is almost as disoriented as me with no idea of what's going on. Despite that I've clearly taken a stance ready to fight and have the time to correct myself to something less threatening. The rebel leader doesn't even look my direction; the rebel leader is looking up towards the cliff side as the cracks from my face smashing into reach upwards and upwards. I hold my breath anticipating that the cliff's gonna fall, but the cracks stop just short.

I'm about to let out a sigh of relief when another Earthquake shakes the ground. Giving the cracks that extra umph needed to cause a collapse. I'm about to run off out of the way, but something pink envelops me. The boulders come crashing down and I brace for impact. But they don't even touch me. The hit the ceiling of this...glass like pink orb. It's a strange construct; definitely gem magic. And there's only one other gem here and that's the quartz. The boulders are laying down around us and the rebel leader is nowhere in sight. Did she retreat back into her gem? Or better yet did it crack or smash her gem? My speculations are proven wrong when I see her stand back up dusting off her white frilly dress. She tanked all these boulders like it was nothing. I want to take a step back away from the monster of a gem that was in front of me, but this damn orb gets in my way.

"Wha? What!?" I was so focused on the rebel leader that I completely forgot about the human girl. She's in here along side me, but she's definitely not taking it as well as I am. She's hyperventilating quite a bit and her movements become panicked which shakes the orb around.

"Stop that," I command the human girl and she properly obeys my command.

"Play nice," the Rose Quartz commands me. I'm not exactly sure how to react; I'm not given commands. I give commands. Though in this situation I can't exactly resist.

I swallow my pride which was already running low and lean against the side of the orb. Letting the human girl rise to her feet," what's going on!?"

It takes all my self control not to yell at her to shut up and call her a clod. "Calm down, no harm has been done," she begins to console the human girl getting her to calm down.

She's still hyperventilating, but she's calmer," can you let me out now. I don't have time for this," I tell her.

"...nope," she starkly responds.

The human girl is about to speak up and yell, but I stop her. This place bounces sound around really well and I am NOT having someone shouting in here," why aren't you letting us out?"

"Well you seem to be in the process of making a new friend and I'd hate to interrupt that," I'm beginning to have even more trouble stifling my rage," besides I've seen the girl here so much, I can tell that the both of you could use a friend."

"What, but you can't just-," I stop the girl before she can finish her tantrum. I'm pissed of to NO END, but keeping your head cool is a skill that I learned is exactly as valuable as being able to crack a gem or speaking. I may be high on the eschalon, but even I can't get away with talking back to the other diamonds. The kind of punishment I received for that was nightmarish.

"We'll be on our way now…," I search my brain for what the rules were for how humans addressed each other," Mrs. The Rose Quartz."

"I'm not married," she tell's me," but good job." I'm not sure if that was patronizing or what, but I roll the orb away from the beach.

Planning to head back to the car wash we roll away. It's tedious and tiring to get up the hills, but that's not what I put forth my brain power towards. It's my 2 interactions with the rebel leader that are on my mind. I recall quite clearly what I was told about her. How she lead a brutal campaign against Homeworld, her side smashed, tortured, made gems into jewelry and even did perverse experiments on them. Creating monstrous creation such as the large sword wielding gem. That appeared every so often in their battles. It was due to the valiant efforts of my mother and her compatriots that managed to push back her assault and saved the gem empire. So my question is, what is she planning. The monster in gem form that goes by the alias Rose Quartz always has something up her sleeve. Waiting to wreck any havoc she can, and I'm wondering why she just put me and a human in this orb? Is this part of some sort of a single minor aggravation, or a tiny part of a larger picture? It's all so confusing especially when you're dealing with someone who you thought was dead and shattered. It's all so confusing trying to figure it out and it's driving me nuts!

"Damn rebel of a gem. I swear when I call Homeworld I'm having her and her entire little group of lackeys turned to dust and I'll even erase this entire rock off my star maps," I rant under my breath.

"What," the girl ask me wondering what I'm ranting like hell about.

"Nothing , it's something a human wouldn't understand."

"You say it like you aren't," she jokes with a chuckle, that gradually fades to concern.

"...I'm not, or at least entirely," I tell her. I don't think telling her about myself will cause much harm. I doubt after this she's going anywhere near the beach or those rebels.

"What do you mean? Are you some sort of alien or something?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I am. I wasn't even born on this planet much less within this galaxy."

"You're an alien," she ask once more.

"I do believe I already answered that question," I state.

"It's just odd. I, I never thought aliens existed till we moved here," she timidly says,.

"Moved here? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, my father's a security guard and we moved quite a lot from city to city."

"Good, I'll be able to get an outsider's perspective on this. What do you think of the rebel leader?"

"The rebel...what?"

Right. Humans don't know about the civil war," that woman that formed this... do you think of her?"

"Well… I think she's kind of nice-"

My fist flies right next to the girl's head. Hitting against the orb container," explain!"

The girl begins hyperventilating again," well she seems nice. She put up this bubble to protect us from the rocks and she didn't even seem all that bad, really nice even"

I pull my fist away and scoff," that's just because you don't know what she did. Or who she is."

"Well...who is she?"

I take a deep breath," she is Rose Quartzite. A gem who led a rebellion against Homeworld thousands of years ago," that was barely an explanation, but we don't have time for the LONG LONG LONG story of the civil war. If Peridot where here she could have gone on all of an Earth day with a brief explanation of who Rose Quartz was.

We roll in an awkward silence until the human breaks the silence,"... my name is Connie by the way. Connie Maheswaran."

So, that's what this human identifies as. "...Steven Yellow Diamond Universe," I tell her my full name. It's odd taking on the Steven and Universe parts, but...it makes me feel how you say… more complete?

"Well good to know that both of our names are a mouthful," she jokes.

"I guess," I unsurely comment.

"Hey Steven, bout time you came," Greg stops his words dead in his tracks when he sees my situation," WHAT THE HAY!?"

"Greetings, good news is I'm not out too late. Bad news we're stuck in this orb."

"Hello ," Connie speaks up.

"Father this is my...friend. Connie Maheswaran," I tell him.

"Oh boy," my father sighs.


	4. The hybrid with a Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and his newly made companion Connie have quite the arduous time trying to pop the bubble. Eventually making their way to the bottom of the ocean, but they're not alone. And Rose...speaks with Garnet over the pressing issue of the hybrid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back. Uploading this late as all hell because I got sidetracked with Bloodborne and then Borderlands. Regardless the second(well this would be like the fourth) verse si the same as the first. Leave a Kudos, comment and subscribe if you enjoy and follow my tumblr under the URL: http://dragonrusher21.tumblr.com/ anyways enjoy the chapter.

"So, uh, what happened," he ask.

"Talked to Connie, rebel leader showed up, rocks fell, and she trapped us in this orb," I respond.

"Any idea on how to get out," my father ask.

I condescending look adorns my face," I'm more intelligent than any human on this planet. If I had a semblance of an idea of how to pop this we'd already been out of this."

"Hang on I've got an idea," my father runs inside.

"Bout time something popped into the tiny brain of his," I mumble. The sound bounces around so well in here that Connie hears it with no problem.

"You do need to be kinder," she mumbles, but I hear it with no problem.

"I don't need to do anything."

Before Connie can return a remark my dad comes rushing in with a stoll. He tries smashing it against the orb, but the stoll breaks into pieces," brute force….quite the brilliant idea," I sarcastically remark.

"Sorry, kids I got nothing," my father sighs.

"I didn't think you'd be much help. Come on Connie I have a few more ideas," I tell her rolling away.

We roll too the pier with odd looks every now and then. Easily due to the orb we're surrounded in. The earthquakes aren't helping either. Shaking us around in the pink container. On the pier are odd human constructions that they use for their… amusement. Contraption that go agonizingly fast, with steep drops and screams are regularly heard here. I don't really understand how these constitute as fun for humans. Do they enjoy the crazyness of all of it? I truly can't understand humans, I may be half human, but that's far from enough for me to gain a comprehensive comprehension of humans. It appears that the other half of my lineage is still something I'm far from knowing. Honestly I can't even talk much about even my gem half. I'm not supposed to admit it aloud, but I'm unfamiliar with many things in gem society, I've always been taught that I'm above that therefore there's no need for me to learn about it. I'm above it. Though Connie doesn't seem to understand this.

She's giving me a glare out from the corner of her eye. I blow it off, back on homeworld their are a variety of gems that have been left dissatisfied with my existance. Attempts on my life have become commonplace. There's always been a line of guards to keep me safe and my tutor as the last line. OVer the course of many eavesdropped conversations. My tutor has been asked in calls that are personal, why she is even protecting me. I'm part human and that's something they can't stand. Humans are looked upon with scorn on homeworld. I'm not even allowed to say "Half-human half-gem" they require me to say that I'm a half-gem fist and to forego and identification of the human side of me. I can only imagine how baddeley I'm going to be punished for my foray to Earth. I'm probably going to have to speak directly with White Diamond herself. One of the two gems above me and I'm damn sure my punishment will be handled by her.

Going to this…"Amusement Park" called "Funland"? I roll the ball onto the tracks of one of the rides," there. If brute force can break this barrier than this should suffice."

Connie doesn't respond," you're being silent."

Still no response," here it comes," I say turning my head toward the tracks.

The vehicle comes rocketing towards us at lightning speed. Connie recoils back, but I only brace for impact. It smashes into the orb and sends us flying. Spinning and twirling in the air. The mix of the blue sky and the deep dark blueness of the sea intertwine melding into this blueish hell. We overshot the pier and are heading towards the ocean. Connie's in here getting tossed around like a damn ragdoll in this. I hold onto her using my own body to soften the impact as we both smash into the walls of the orb as we crash into the water; Plunging into it's depths below. The pain from that is blinding. I was already disoriented from the tossing and turning, but the added pain is the final limit for me. My head fogs over and my vision darkens as I slump forward passing out.

I look up and I recognize where I am. I'm kneeling down, bowing repentantly. In an instant I know where I am. It's the court of White Diamond herself. Aristocrats are lined up on sides staring into me with anger fueled eyes. I don't dare look up at the one in front of me. Fear grows inside me forming tendrils around my very being. I do mental review like Jasper taught me to calm my nerves.

"I was in a bubble, I passed out and this is a dream. That's not the real White Diamond. That's not the real White 's not the real White Diamond."

I repeat that like a mantra, but it doesn't even ward off the fear or anything. It only grows more and more intense. White Diamond speaks with booming authority," Yellow Diamond. You've committed the crime of high treason against Homeworld," she speaks.

"Smash him!" An aristocrat cries out.

"Turn him to powder!" Another belts.

"Torture him and all the gems that aligned with him!"

The cries only have one thing in common. They all want to see me dead. I try to not begin heaving for breath or sweat or panic at all. IT will only throw fuel on the fire. Gems don't do that and I need to seem as much as a gem as possible. "Yellow Diamond...," she says reaching her hand out slowly to me.

I reach my hand out hoping to take up on her offer to help me rise to my feet, but that's not what she was offering. She thrust her hand forward, grabbing my gem in the center of my chest and yanking it out," or...do you prefer Steven," I hear her say as I fall back.

"STEVEN!" I jolt awake at the call of my human name. I look around to regain my grip with reality.

"I'm in the bubble, with Connie, at the bottom of an ocean on Earth, I'm in the bubble, with Connie, at the bottom of an ocean on Earth, I'm in the-"

"Are you okay," Connie ask. I realize I was just repeating everything again."

"I'm fine," I shake off standing up," how long was I passed out?"

"I don't know...the sun's setting now," she tells me pointing upwards. We can see the sky through the oceans rippling tides. It's turned that odd reddish color it always does at this time.

"Come on Connie we-," I'm interrupted by another of those Earthquakes. Nearby, I can see the cause of it. It's a battle damaged gem that sprouts too and from the bed of the ocean. It's long and it's skin is oddly whitish and transparent. With a circular mouth filled with saw like teeth and tendrils produced from it's face. It's eating this glowing purple coral that grows.

"So that's what's the cause of these damn Earthquakes," I mudder.

"What the hell is that," Connie recoils back away from it. Or as much as the limited space of the orb will allow her.

"Relax it's only interested in the pink things…oh yeah this orb is pink too," I sigh.

The monster focuses it's attention to us," my life is just one giant mess," I have the gem destabilizer I brought with me in my left hand and strangely I'm holding my right in front of Connie in a defensive manner.

"Brace yourself," I tell her as the beast rams into us at full speed.

I struggle to maintain my balance as the eel like thing tries to eat us, but thankfully this orb is just too large for it to swallow in one smooth go. The orb is pushed through the water and the eel is not letting up. We're knocked against the walls of the bubble and it roars in frustration; increasing in speed and ferocity. I can't use the destabilizer inside this bubble, and when it pops I only have one good shot. Otherwise I'll have to find some way to dance around the damn thing until another opening is shown. This wouldn't be such a taboo option if Connie wasn't here. I'm half gem, more resilient than her and better and sturdy from a physical standpoint. She couldn't even dodge a single strike from this thing, let alone continue it until an opening shows up.

Quickly turning my head away from the beast I look up at the sky and see that we're rushing upwards carried by the beast mad attempt to eat us," Connie the moment the bubble pops, run," I tell her.

"What do you mean run!? You can't fight this alone," she objects.

"I can and I will. Just don't get caught up in the confrontation," I tak on one last thing on the end; one that I rarely use ever,"...please."

"Wha-," she stops as we break through the surface of the water. The pink orb is flying through the air of the shore line.

Cracks begins to form from the sudden rapid change in pressure the bubble was experiencing. This is the moment. I reel back the destabilizer. Charges of energy pulsing through the two prongs. Before he bubble shatters into a thousand pink glass like fragments, I spring off of the back of it. I stab forward into the corrupted gem's flesh and the energy courses through it. The solemn gem cries out in agony as the charge vibrates through it; the sickly yellow veins forming along it's entire surface. In one large puff of smoke the body poofs away leaving only the solid gem. The gem is pentagon shaped in a dark orange color. Plummeting down I grab the gem. I then smack face first into the white sandy beach dropping the gem I recently obtained into the tides as it's washed away into the ocean once more. I thought I was over the water and I'm paying for that fowl up. Shaking the dust off me I stand up stretching. I'm definitely going to be bruised and bleeding on the inside tomorrow.

"STEVEN," Connie calls out running towards me.

"What?"

"Are you alright," she ask.

"I do belive so."

"Thank god," she says hugging me. I'm unfamiliar with this human tradition, but I am fairly aware that it's for compassion.

"Um… thanks?"

"Oh, sorry," she pulls away from her hug timidly.

I don't really have anything to say. I'm too focused on the gem I have in my hand," you seem… happy," Connie brings up. My face flushes red.

I try to say something, but my mouth, mind and Peridots teaching all fail me and my words fumble out," uh, ba, ja, duh, thanksss."

Connie giggles , but for some reason I don't take any offense to this," it's just that this is the first time I've ever actually beaten a genuine corrupted gem in actual combat. Jasper's going to be pleased hearing about this," I take a seat and hold the gem towards Earth's sun. Examining the finer details of it.

"Who's Jasper," Connie ask. Taking a seat next to me on the beach.

"She's one of my tutors back on Homeworld."

"Tutors? Homeworld?"

"Oh right. As you can tell I'm not from here. I'm half gem and half human. My other was of a foreign species to this one and I am the result of her experiment. I'm one of the three Diamond Matriarchs back on Homeworld and the other Matriarchs have set up some tutors to instruct me on things until, I'm deemed ready and capable of full leadership of my court."

It takes a minute for Connie to process this new information,"...so you're like royalty back on your planet?"

I let out a hearty laugh," no. Royalty is an understatement. I have more power than any king or queen. I only have two other people I have to take orders from, and my tutors aren't permanent. Gradually they'll lose the ability to give me a selective set of orders. Once I gain full control of my court I could order planets to be destroyed for no reason at all and no one will care much less bat an eye. I'm something above the other gems. Something above a petty king. I was raised and told to be the very best."

She takes on a more somber tone,"... so that explains the unruly personality," she mutters.

"Unruly? Was I being unruly?"

"You didn't notice," Connie ask.

"No. I always talked to other sentient beings on Homeworld like that."

"Ordering people around," she ask and I nod.

"I guess I was in a sense. I never actually intended to be mean or anything. I was taught by Peridot on how to walk with authority, how to speak with authority. To always act as if I'm constantly looking down on everything around me."

"Well...you've been getting better," Connie encourages.

"...thanks," I respond.

"See. You're getting better."

"Well I still have a long way to go as far as my interactions on Earth go," I stand up dusting the sand off.

Connie's about to get up, but I extend my hand in a offer to help her up. Immediately a small quiver a fear emerges as I'm reminded of the nightmare I had during my unconsciousness. I recoil back instinctively," are you alright," Connie ask. Already have gotten up on her own.

"Hm? Oh, yeah I'm fine," I lie. My heart's still racing even though the small memory has passed.

"Well… I'll be here on the beach tomorrow….see you again," she ask.

"I guess we will."

With that the human girl departs and I'm left here on the beach. I move to put the destabilizer away, but I've seem to have lost it at some point or another. Did I drop it when I fell onto the sand? Did it get pulled into the ocean by the tides? It doesn't matter really I have four other destabilizers with me for this reason. I know for a fact that by now they are very aware on the missing destabilizers, but those go missing all the time, so not even a thought will be put into it. I'm not even sure they're aware I'm gone yet, they probably think I just took a long nap and not answering. But, once they find out I'm gone that nightmare I had might not just be a dream, but leaning more towards reality.

P.O.V: Rose Quartz

Peaking from behind a rock I watch the young one named Steven. Much as Garnet foretold he's more than meets the eye. I doubted her at first, but here I see proof for myself. He definitely knows about Homeworld, corrupted gems and even great knowledge of Homeworld. Which is to be expected it wasn't hard to over hear his and Connie's conversation. He's a diamond matriarch, but which, how and why? The diamonds haven't set foot on Earth for thousands of years, so why is one here now. That's only if his claims are even , he didn't seem like he's lying. The idea that he's a diamond like Garnet said, would explain his personality. Though the pod we found did arrive precisely the day he did, he did even use a strange piece of tech to take out the corrupted gem. But evidence against it is that I haven't even seen his gem, but at this point that question is really what kind of gem does he have? If he truly is a diamond than which one? And why is he half-human?

"Do you see what I mean," Garnet ask.

I nod," I see what you mean."

"Then why aren't we doing something about it," she ask.

"Because I'm sure he can change. He isn't like a normal Homeworld has potential."

"Potential? The way I see it chances are he will lead Homeworld right to us."

"But, there's that chance that he won't. And I put my faith in him that he can do it."

Garnet pushes up her triangular glasses," if you say so. If you put you're faith in him, then I guess I will to." I smile back at her, but she's still very clearly skeptical. We watch as the strange hybrid get's up and walks away. Probably back to Greg's car wash. Things are shifting on this peaceful planet. And I fear that we may be caught up in conflict against Homeworld once more.


	5. Musical Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg decides to dome spring cleaning. Doing so he inspires help from someone Steven isn't too fond of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom! I'm back. Same thing as always kudos, comment and subscribe and the same old same old. And just a heads up I'm gonna post a ranking of the bosses in Dark Souls 3 in tumblr. And if you're wondering what my Tumblr URL is its the same as this one. http://dragonrusher21.tumblr.com/

It's midday and my father's taken me to a storage center. It's like a large box that humans use to put stuff away in. I brought Connie with me to share the experience. Connie and my father are talking quite adamantly while I'm just examining them. Watching them from atop of the van. They're communicating. I'm watching how the two humans interact. I can see the definite difference in the way two humans interact between two gems. When two gems interact the conversation is always initially started by the gem of the higher class. A servant would never start a conversation with a technician gem unless it was important, here it seems to be more of a stance of equals. Both treat each other with respect. Something rarely seen on homeworld which only makes this scene the more the strange for me; and all the more interesting for me to observe.

"So Connie have you lived here long," my father ask.

"Not really. My father's a security guard so we move around a lot. I haven't been here for long."

"That's good, Neither has Steven. It's good that the two of you became friends," my father adds.

"I agree," the voice of the rebel leader says.

Her voice nearly gives me a heart attack. I jolt back, losing my balance and falling from on top of the "Mr. Universe" van. I come to a stop above the ground," wait, wha-," I turn my head to see that the fusion has caught me.

My words choke up in my throat,"...sup," the fusion speaks.

I still can't form any words,"...you okay Steven," my father.

"I'm doing just peachy frickin fan-tucking-fastic," I guess it takes a stupid comment to finally force words out of me.

"Weren't you trying to be nicer," the Rose Quartz ask.

"Key word, trying and uh," I stop for a moment to correct my speech mannerisms to those of Earth," can you uh, please put me down?"

Sure enough she obliges. The word please and making request like that are still things I'm not used to using. We stand around in an awkward silence. My father is the one to break the silence," so how you've been Rose?"

"I've been doing well. I had some time on my hands and I thought it'd find it interesting to spend it here," she says," and the fusion just tagged along."

Garnet's eyes are hidden behind her glasses, but I can tell she's looking at me. Thankfully her attention is changed when my father yet again saves me," well I was just gonna clean out the storage unit. Wanna help?"

"We'd be much obliged," Rose does genuinely seem happy. The fusion is less so, but rolls with it.

"Well we need to come up with a system first," Rose adds.

"I have an idea," Connie speaks up. She takes out three boxes and labels them," keep, sell, burn."

"Alright, I get it," I mumble. This is a bit revealing on how humans do organization.

My father opens up the storage and we see a goddamn mess. We all recoil back a bit at seeing just exactly what we have signed ourselves up to clean. A conglomerate of an ssortment of objects have been smashed into a tiny space. Some stuff is large, some stuff is small, some things make sense, there's stuff… not at all. I can see what looks like a painting and a large shelf. It's something that wouldn't be tolerated on Homeworld. To keep anyone's personal space like this is something that wouldn't fly. I'm still surprised that the stuff isn't just falling out, but I guess it's intelligently set up so that it won't fall out at the slightest nudge. Though it's something we all secretly anticipate. The fusion's the first to move, she reaches for a large object.

"Wait/stop," both me and the Rose Quartz speak up. She had the kinder words for the fusion.

She let's me have the floor. My words begin to get caught up in my throat, but I force them out," I was just going to say, that if you grabbed that everything would've collapsed."

"So, what do you propose," the Rose Quartz ask me.

As much as I'd like to completely stay out of this I can't," well...we could move smaller things out the way first freeing up more room to stably remove the object."

"Alright, sounds good," the Rose Quartz confirms and everyone else agrees. I don't mention that all I did was explain the main strategy that Homeworld uses for getting rid of any aristocrat that we consider heretical.

We begin the arduous process of cleaning this place out. Removing little by little until we make some actual progress. I'm actually quite thankful to have the fusion here. There are some quite heavy things left here. So far the box with the most stuff in it is unsurprisingly, "burn". Even though I'm clearly not in the loop of Earth culture, there are things everyone here are asking "why is this even made?" Even my father is pondering why he bought the stuff he bought. Eventually after combing through this entire mess we only get out...not even half of what's left and a multitude of large objects are still wedged in here. And we're not gonna have an easier time as things go on. We've been doing this since midday and now it's clearly noon. I am getting a bit tired myself actually. It's been nearly 72 hours here on Earth meaning it's nearly been a full day on homeworld. By now I would normally been on my down time probably, reviewing the progress on the projects we've been working on and any complaints that have been brought up. After that I would normally sleep until someone woke me up.

"Well I think we made good progress today," my father confirms.

"I still think we can do more," Rose adds.

"I agree," Connie inputs.

"If you say so," my father sighs. We all know what we're aiming for this time the large object that's been in our path. Apparently it's something humans call a "wooden bed frame". I know what a bed is, I have one, but a bed frame?

"Well we're gonna need someone to help carry it from the other side," we all approach the only small little gap in which we could feasibly get to the other side. The hole's so small that there's no way in hell anyone here could fit.

All eyes turn to me and Connie," no. No no no there's no way you're getting me to crawl into this heap of mess," I object.

"Please," the Rose Quartz ask me.

"Fine. We'll go," I concede. Not only because I want to put distance between me and the rebel leader, but to also give myself some time to contemplate this...quartzite gem.

Me and Connie crawl into the small hole the leads deeper into this trash heap. It's dark in here due to the lack of a light of any kind. If I thought the front was bad the rest is easily now much worse. Things strewn everywhere and the entire place filled with oddities. Though under normal circumstances I'd be fascinated by the trinket's and other things. My interest is drawn to the quartz gem that is just outside. What I don't understand about this "Roze Quartz" is...everything! She's supposed to be this brutal warrior. And her posse a gaggle of blood knights that are only out to wreck havoc. She's supposed to constantly reek of gem shards. To rule without mercy and willing to slaughter any in her way. Brainwashing many gems into fighting against Homeworld. Yet when I'm near her… she's…. She's just so heart meltingly nice! The aroma of Earth roses exudes off of her, not violence. Her voice holds no anger or hate. Is this really the leader of the renegades that went and slaughtered thousands of homeworld gems?

"Steven are you ok," Connie's voice brings me out of my whole thought process.

"Huh," I absent mindedly inquire, taking a single step forward that was my mistake.

The toes of my foot latch onto something and I'm sent tumbling forward," Steven," Connie gasp.

"Relax I'm more durable than you," I get up dusting myself seeing what I strewn across the floor.

There these cases with words on them," you have any idea what this is," I ask Connie picking up one of the cases and handing it to her.

"It looks like a CD," Connie struggles a bit opening the case, but inside is a flat metallic disc.

"A...what?"

"You know. The stuff you watch movies and play videogames on."

I raise an eyebrow," you think I have any idea what a "Movie" or a "Videogame" even is?"

"Well...these look more like the kind of things you'd have music on," she adds.

I still don't understand what she's talking about," hang on," I pick up the box with the "CD"s in it and carry it outside. The sky has dimmed into a light blue color.

"Sup, I have no idea what these things are and the piqued my interest," I announce. Scanning my head around I notice two...three gems are missing," where'd the Rose Quartz and the fusion go?"

"The fusion…," my father ask.

Right. Humans can't fuse," the tall one."

"OH! Well they said it was getting late so they headed back. They were reluctant, but I assured them that we could handle it and besides it's getting late and I should take Connie home."

"Right, I have a question though."

"And what might that be," Greg inquires.

"What are these," I ask, turning around to help Connie out of the mess.

"These are my old music albums," my father reminisces.

"Called it," Connie adds.

"So what are these…"music albums"," I inquire.

They both look at me like I'm cracked," what?"

"You've never listened to music?"

"Homeworld doesn't have this "music" thing," I answer.

"We need to fix this," my father says opening the back of his van.

He rummages around and pulls out a hollow wooden instrument. It's long and has strings lining up the entire length," it's been awhile since I last dusted this old baby off," he jokes.

"I didn't know you played guitar," Connie exclaims. So that tool he has in his hand is called a "guitar".

"I used to be a one man band back in the day," my father seemingly loses himself reminiscing on a past that has long since gone by.

He begins to strum on the guitar and a noise is produced. Well noise isn't exactly the best way to describe it. Yes, it is noise, but performed in an orderly fashion. I examine the tool my father is using. It's made of wood, and hollowed out on the inside. The hole placed over the thin copper wire strings vibrate. Resonating inside the base of the tool, magnifying the noise into the concoction we hear now. An impressive tool considering it was crafted by humans. Something that on the surface has no intrinsic value. I do slightly recall seeing something shaped a large amount like the instrument my father is strumming along. I quickly head back into the mess, my father raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't stop strumming. I come back with a smaller version of this guitar. This one has a an earth lilly painted on the side. I hold the smaller guitar the same why my father does and repeat his motions. The smaller guitar produces much of the same noise, but it's higher.

"Hey, not bad," my father encourages," what about this."

He begins to strum a more complicated pattern," simple enough," I answer mimicking the string of sounds.

"Alright, let's see if you can continue keeping this pattern while repeating after me," my father clears his throat and begins to say," do ray me fa so la te do."

Strange, but not that hard," do ray me fa so la te do," I respond.

Both my father and Connie begin to clap, which causes my face to feel warmer," hey not bad. Maybe I should give you lessons."

"Lessons over what?"

"Learning how to play guitar kiddo."

"Really? Lessons? It's not that hard."

"I guess you're just musically gifted. That parts definitely from me," he pats himself on the back.

"I highly doubt that skill in this "music" is hereditary."

"It's a figure of speech," my father explains.

"Human language is weird," I moan laying back in a lawn chair that was just sitting outside.

"Well, I'd better leave," Connie says.

"Don't worry I'll take you home," my father offers," uh, Steven will you be alright staying here?"

I nod. Leaning back in the chair looking up at the stars as they leave. Three days on earth are equal to a single day on Homeworld. My trip is a week long by Earth time. Totalling out to two Homeworld days and a little bit into the third. In total my absence may go completely unnoticed. The Diamonds may not even noticed. I'm busy enough as it is and most of the work I'm sent are just leftovers from the other Diamonds. As I get older the stuff gradually gets longer and more taxing just to read. Staring up at the Earth's night sky, I lead my eyes back to the small pinkish red dot in the sky. Homeworld. The place I'll return to after leaving this place. And the place I'll spend the rest of eternity on. The world I was born, the world I was raised, the world I am from. Yet, half of the blood that flows through my veins has its origins here. Origins with all this...organic life. My eyes grow heavy and I lean back Letting my consciousness fade into my slumber.


	6. Mirror Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven manages to get a strange mirror from one of the crystal gems that's supposedly broken, but not after destroying a bit of property.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this post is a post. And sorry about that. I was going to post the Dark souls 3 boss ranking , but I forgot that Steven Universe was airing a new episode and I do review reviews those things so that took place of the post. Anyways the same thing as before Kudos, comment and subscribe if you enjoy. My tumblr is Dragonrusher21 ,but if you've been binging these chapters you would know that.

My eyes groggily come open. The sky's a bright blue, but I'm still in a half awake daze. Right, I fell asleep outside. My bet's are on it being less than a day worth of sleep. I look around and nothing much seems to have changed. I do turn over to the other side to get the bright light out of my face. I aim to drift back into sleep, but there's the obnoxious noise coming from somewhere. For a minute I thought it was my father washing a car or something, but no. This is something far far more worse. It takes me some time to actually even make out what the hell the noise is even saying. It repeats for a good minute before I can even understand what the hell it's saying. It's repeating a single chime over and over and throughout eternity.

"Mayor dew-ey. Mayor de-wey," the noise repeats on the endless loop.

I try ignoring it, but gradually it begins to wear on my nerves. Something snaps and I get to my feet. Gritting my teeth and the blood within me boiling like it was on fire. If this was Homeworld I would have already had a quartz gem deal with the infernal noise, but the only quartz gem on this planet is the leader of the crystal gems and there's not a chance I'm ever getting close to that of my own volition. Heading closer to that infernal chant I see that it's coming from a van? It's driving along and has an effigy of a human head on top and speakers blurting out that single line. On the side are signs saying "vote for dewey". I have heard of this voting thing. It's not something that happens on Homeworld. But, that's not important. What is important is me preferably throwing this damn machine into the ocean!

"You in the van," I call out stepping in front.

Some weird man pokes his head out of the window," hey kid what are you doing get out of the way," he objects.

"I don't let those below me give me orders," I clarify disgusted that this...meat bag just dared to give me a command," I'm telling you to shut that thing up."

"What? Listen kid elections are important and I can't just not campaign. Now go run along and do something else," he brushes me aside and begins to drive around me.

My anger has reached all new heights here on this gem forsaken rock. I can feel my heart pounding in my ears even though it is in my chest. I jump up on the hood of the car with it still moving," hey what are ya doin kid?!"

I don't answer him back. I do however take the megaphones that have been blaring that message, that were perched on top of the van and I tear them off. Tossing them into the wide blue expanse of the ocean," wha-," the man in the car is flabbergasted.

Jumping off I tell the fool in the van something," remember to never give orders to those above you," to finish it off I kick the side of the van causing it to tilt considerably.

I grumble to myself walking away from the idiot who's exclaiming something about the damage I caused," Steven what was that," I recognize the voice of Connie as she runs up to me.

I take a moment to think of what humans say to greet each other," hallo," I wave.

"Hello," she corrects.

"Same difference."

"Not really."

We talk to each other as we walk down the wooden path next to the ocean. That Funland place isn't very far. The screams of supposedly entertained humans can be heard easily. The screams still remind me of those of the tortured gems. Connie and I gradually make our way to the beach walking along the rocky cliff face. The blue water sloshing up against the side the sandy shore. I ask Connie about Earth and all she knows about it. What are the weather patterns, noteworthy resources, and about human culture. She mentions oil as an important resource, but gem society doesn't run itself on something as crude as that. Most tech is actually powered by non-sentient gems. However there are times that sentient-gems have been put in objects to power them but even that's a rare punishment on Homeworld. When a sentient-gem is locked in an item. They can't will themselves to reform at all. Staying locked away in their gem; their ability to sense the passage of time still very functional. From what I've heard trying to reform with you're gem in an an object is like trying to scream without a voice. Going through all the proper motions, but nothing ever comes out.

"Are you listening," Connie taps my shoulder snapping me out of my thoughts.

I lurch back," woah, you okay," she ask.

"Yeah I'm find. I just had some scary thoughts," I sigh. I know that being locked in an item isn't something that is even feasible to happen to me. I can't even retreat to my gem, so I can't be locked in an item.

"About what?"

Oh, it's nothing a human would understand," I blow off.

"You say that a lot."

"Because it's true. Earth and it's… culture are very different from that of Homeworlds. And I don't think a human would understand much of how it works."

"Aren't you half-human," she brings up.

"Please don't remind me, but yes. I am."

"You understand gem society, right?"

"Of course."

"So why wouldn't a full blooded human not be able to understand it?"

I sigh realizing she won't stop pressuring me until I tell her," fine. On Homeworld we have…. Figures like what you'd call a…"Mayor" that governs over society, but in much larger ways."

"Like a president?"

"Bigger." I correct.

"And what do they do?"

"Well they look over the entire gem operation. One branch rules over culture, while another rules over kindergartens and production of gems. Another branch rules over technological development. But, there's still one who rules over it all as the boss."

"Like a company?" Connie ask.

I stop and think for a moment.," with what little I know about human companies… I do think that is an accurate comparison. Just on a… galactic scale."

"Well I can understand that. So, what do you do in this business," she jokingly refers to it as business.

"I'm on the top of the eschalon."

"...wait you run it!?"

"Well no, I'm like third in the total tier thing, but yes I am high up on it. I don't have full control over it, but I will when I'm older."

"If you're so important then why are you here?"

"Nothing important. I was just curious about my earthly origins."

"That's it?"

"Of course. It's not like a have any business that needs doing here… do I," I rack my brain for any ongoing projects involving the Earth. I do feel like there is one, but it's escaping me.

"Well sounds like you have quite the interesting life," Connie and I turn a corner as we walk around Beach city's shore.

"It's honestly really bore-," I quickly turn around back over the corner.

"Steven? Are you alright?"

"No, I am not!" I snap back. Over across the corner of the cliff face is a temple depicting a grotesque fusion between 5 gems. And not only that, but the rebel leader is out there. Along with the defective Amethyst and a Pearl.

"Oh. You overreact every time you see them," Connie remarks.

"No I don't," I answer back peaking my head around the corner watching what the rebels are doing. They're doing something taking out a bunch of objects and getting rid of them. Kinda like what we did yesterday in that storage unit.

"What is this some sort of spring cleaning," Connie ask.

"It's winter though."

"Spring cleaning is more of a title it doesn't matter when you really do it," she explains.

"If you say so."

The Rose Quartz starts doing something strange," oh no," I groan realizing she somehow managed to see us over 20 yards away and is beckoning towards us.

"Come on," I tell Connie as I step out from our hiding place and move closer.

Getting closer we see that the pile is massive. A conglomerate of junk that rivals and possibly exceeds the mess in the storage unit," hallo."

"Hello," both Connie and the Rose Quartz correct in unison.

I relinquish control of the situation to Connie who is a hundred times more eloquent when handling situations involving the rebels," what are you guys up too," she ask.

"Well we were cleaning out Amethyst junk, but she's having a hard time letting this junk go," the Pearl admonishes. Quite...talky for a Pearl. Especially considering she's talking about a quartzite gem however the Amethyst it is a defective gem so I guess a functional Perl is above her.

"It's not junk," the defective Amethyst retorts.

"Oh yes it is," the Pearl replies," half the stuff in here isn't even yours. This thing right here is from MY room!"

The Pearl pulls something out of the heap. The object does intrigue me to an extent. It's an old magic mirror. Used as a history textbook of sorts, but has been abandoned due to newer tech. Though the mirror would make a nice little trinket," that mirror… can I have it," I request; choking back my pride as a Diamond to ask a Pearl for an item like that.

"What? This? It's broken and doesn't even work," she informs me.

"It's fine. I'll still take it," she hands me the ornate mirror. Definitely something that belonged to a noble at some point. Not Diamond level, but high up. The mirror seems to be fine. I can't see any cracks in my reflection. I turn it over and I see the problem.

"The gem powering this is cracked," I mumble to myself in a hushed breath.

"You say something," the Pearl ask.

"No. It was nothing," I deny, but the servant class gem is skeptical.

"Connie. C'mon let's go," I say still examining the broken mirror.

Connie sighs," alright, it was nice to see you," she waves good bye to the rebel gems as we move back into the city far away from the beach.

We're walking back into the city when Connie stops me," hey. Do you want some doughnuts," she ask.

"I hope you have some of the paper currency, cause I don't."

"I figured you were broke."

We head into the shop, but that's not my focus. I check on the yellow gem located on my chest," my gem isn't even cracked," I dispute.

"It's an idiom," she informs.

"Human language is weird."

"What," I hear someone ask. I turn my head forward and see two people. One short human female with blond hair. And a taller one with red hair. They're both looking at me strangely.

"What are you staring at you pebbles," I sneer.

"Steven, I thought you were trying to be nice," Connie ask.

"Key word: trying," I retort.

Connie signs and signals for me to keep my mouth shut as she begins talking to the people behind the desk. She turns to me after speaking with them for a bit," what kind of donut do you want?"

"I don't even know what a donut is, so don't ask me," I tell her.

"Fair enough."

"Is your friend not from here," the girl ask.

"Yeah. He's' from a place a that's not even close to here," Connie explains.

"I can see," the female says," you know what. Here"

She hands her a box filled with these circular things," it's on the house," the female says.

"That's not a very good business practice," I add.

"Well...I just thought it'd be a good idea to do something nice for a change," the female explains.

"Emotions aren't the way to run a business," I advise.

"Steven," Connie sighs," it's more complicated than that..let's just go before you make things any more awkward."

"Whatever you say," we both leave the small shop with an awkward air hanging over.

I pull out the mirror and look into it," show me the galaxy warp," I ask it.

"...are you talking to a mirror," she ask.

"Oh please. It's not as simple as that. This mirror is a learning tool. Able to show and recall anything it's seen. I was just testing it out to see if the Pearl was right that it was broken."

"A magic mirror," she ask," can I see that?"

I'm intrigued and hand it to her as she recites something in a way similar to a song," mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?"

We wait for about a minute and nothing happens," awww," she hands it back to me.

"Nice try, but I don't think songs will work."

"Fair enough," she takes out one of the circles out of the box and eats one.

"These are edible," I exclaim trying one for myself.

These circles are incredibly sweet, but I like it," there needs to be more of these."

Connie let's out a small giggle," what? Did I say something strange?"

"No. It was just...cute."

Her cheeks flush red and I put my hand on her forehead," you okay. On Homeworld they said that my face gets red when my ability to maintain homeostasis is compromised," I explain.

"Woah, woah. A bit too close for kids your age," my father admonishes when we get to the carwash.

"Connie's face get's even redder," are you alright. Is your internal temperature increasing," I ask.

"No. No. I'm fine," she says flustered. Standing up and walking away quickly.

Both me and my father are left at the carwash since Connie left," so uh, what happened?"

"I don't know. She said something about me being cute and then she wasn't able to maintain homeostasis and her face got all red," I explain.

My father begins to let out a hearty laugh from deep in his gut," WOW. You are just far too innocent," he walks away without explaining much.

"What," I ask myself not understanding what just happened.


	7. Ocean Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven manages to free the gem in the mirror. They both take refuge atop the ocean tower, but the Crystal Gems won't leave them alone. Steven readies himself to finally confront face to face the last embers of the rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H2-Oh my gosh! It's the other part of the lapis part. Yay! So anyways same as before, kudos, comment, subscribe. My tumblr's Dragonrusher21. Head over there if you want reviews over Steven Universe episodes because people seem to like those.

The next day has begun and the sun peeks over the horizon. I lay on my back looking up at the fading night sky, but focusing on this broken mirror I obtained," so, what can this do?"

"And now I'm talking to myself and a broken mirror. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Steven," I hear a voice call. It's not one I recognize. So I sit up and look around.

"Well damn. I was just exaggerating, but I guess I truly am becoming insane."

"Steven. Is. A. Gem," there it is again. That voice? Or should I say voices. Because I recognize the voices. There from me and Connie?

"Okay…," I stand up scanning my eyes across the scene," show yourself before I raze this entire city to the ground."

"The. Mirror," this time I hear my voice saying the statement.

I pick up the mirror and see it begin to play scene from yesterday," You. Are. A. Gem."

The mirror is making sentences from the things I said yesterday," oh ho hooo. You ain't so broken after all."

"What. Gem?" The mirror ask me.

I pull down my shirt revealing the bright yellow gem on my chest," Yellow Diamond."

The mirror doesn't know how to respond. But it finds a suitable answer," You. Aren't. Human?"

"Well...not entirely."

I begin explaining to this mirror what exactly is up with my weird state. I can't exactly be sure about much of anything about this mirror. I know it's not somewhat broken, showing me things from the past, but it's not supposed to be able to hold a conversation. There supposed to be tools. Not real sentient things that can communicate. It's truly a strange thing to witness. But, other than being a mirror. This gem seems like a genuinely nice gem to be around. We talk back and forth, but it's limited due to her only being able to use clips from stuff it's seen. Yet, despite that we do become what can be considered friends. Our talk continues until the sun is overhead and it's midday. The mirror gem does seem to be getting better at using clips. She's doing it slowly, but surely.

My dad steps out of his van," uhhh, Steven?"

"What," I ask.

"Are you….talking to yourself," he ask.

I sigh," no I'm talking to the mirror," I tell him.

He stares at me in silence like I'm crazy,"...okay," he slowly backs away from me.

"Freakin weirdo," I sigh.

"Well I have nothing to do today. Connie is at that...school thing, so I guess we have the day to ourselves," I tell my friend the mirror.

We begin walking and talking about a variety of things. Communication has eased a fair bit because we've talked enough that she has a vast amount of clips to use. Our conversation we drift towards the Crystal Gems that are stationed not too far from here. But, I begin to wonder how exactly did she end up here? I know sentient gems can be placed in objects and I'm pretty sure that this is one, but I hesitate. I do find it odd that the Pearl just up and gave someone she thinks is human a pretty valuable object and I wouldn't be surprised if this was to get information out of me. Then again, they could just overwhelm me with brute force and torture any information out of me that way. At least that's the way I'd do it. I don't have fondness for the subtly my colleague Blue Diamond likes to use. Up front shows of power are things I do prefer.

"So...Mirror buddy," I ask my new companion," what should we do? I'm not staying on this planet much longer actually. But, those...rebel's worry me."

"We. Should. Leave. Now."

"Don't be so hasty. Haste leads to oversights. And oversights lead to ultimate failure."

"We. Should. Leave. Now."

I sigh," you are very determined about this."

"The. Rebel. Gems. Are bad."

I don't have a verbal response, but I simply give her the facial expression I use far too often," I already know that."

"The. Rebel. Gem.s Will. Shatter. Us."

I give her the same sarcastic expression I used earlier," Call. Homeworld."

The mirror does have a valid method of doing this. I look at the communicator in my wrist. I've been adverse to using this because White Diamond sure as hell ain't gonna let me off easy. Even if it does mean crushing the rest of the rebellion. Flashbacks of my dream resurface and I have to take a seat to catch my breath," Are. You. Alright?"

"I'm fine," I lie, but reassure my buddy in the mirror.

My buddy in the mirror does something I didn't know it could do. It takes a picture of the clouds above us in the sky and twist them to form a smiley face," he, you've gotten pretty good."

"Behind. You," the mirror exclaims.

I quickly move away from where I am. Taking an offensive stance. Who I see though instantly makes my blood freeze. It's the rebel leader Rose Quartz," Steven," she ask?

"Run. Run. Run," my mirror buddy is saying.

"Oh shush your face," I tell her, but she has a fair point. This is not a battle I can win.

"Steven, give me the mirror," she ask. Her voice is kind and it's actually tempting, but I steel my resolve. The gem in this mirror is one of the few people or gems I can actually call my friend.

I steel myself and retort," no way in hell rebel," I expected her to be caught more off guard at me calling her a rebel, but she seems more annoyed than anything.

She sighs and reaches forward, but I leap forward myself. Using her face as a platform to spring off. I than run full sprint towards the Car Wash. My father's hosing down that putrid vehicle that kept on belting that strange chant yesterday," Steven what's wrong," he ask. Clearly seeing my panicked expression.

"Nothing it's just that I will be taking an early leave. I enjoyed my time on this planet and I will regret when it disappears longer than for most other planets. So I shall see you hopefully never, because I ain't coming to this damn planet again," I take the box I brought with me. Withdrawing the gem destabilizer.

I have 4 left. I lost one in the ocean a while ago. I turn to run literally anywhere but here. I see that the Rose Quartz and the rest of her gang are here," argh! Can't you just leave me and my mirror alone you damn rebels!"

"Rebels," the Pearl ask turning towards the Rose Quartz and she gives a smile that says. I'm guilty, but trying to downplay it.

"Whoa what's going on here!" My father is caught up in something humans shouldn't be involved in.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. BYE," I spring off the wall, vaulting up onto the roof of the "it's a wash" and running away.

"What kind of human is he," the Pearl ask.

"Well he's not completely human," the perma-fusion informs her, but that's the last I hear of their conversation as I head to the beach.

I reach the beach. The sandy shores and the water sloshing," those damn pebbles are still following me!? Why can't they just leave me alone!"

"Steven!"

"Oh, right. You're here," I begin looking into the mirror," sorry. I've been so caught up in this fiasco that I forgot about you."

The mirror doesn't really focus on my apology, but does the thing where she messes with the image of clouds to provide something completely new. It's a small video of a shaded version of me pulling the teardrop shaped gems out of the back. It wants me...to free her? I look behind me when I hear the voices of those damn rebels! I swear they are like those cockroach things my father told me about. Just so hard to freaking kill! We sent an entire army to wipe them off the face of everything and here they are. Finding a way to harass a diamond six thousand years later! They are the freakin bane of my and every other Homeworld gem's existence! Not doing as their told and causing nothing, but problems.

"Well," I turn the mirror over revealing the blue tear dropped shape gem," it's do or die and I sure as hell ain't dieing!"

I grip the gem and begin to tug at it. The tides from the ocean seem to pull around me. Forming some sort of shape at my feet," Steven don't," the rebel's say, but I yank it one last time with all my strength and the gem is free. It's cracked but it's free.

It flies away from my hand and the gem begins to form. The gem is taller than me. Has blue skin and short dark blue hair and a matching dress. She is lacking footwear, but that's not important. I'm just impressed she was able to from so quickly with a cracked gem. With the only problem with her regeneration being the lack of pupils in her eyes. When the crystal gems get closer they all stop to examine the gem I freed. She rises to her feet and stumbles to regain her balance. Everyone here is waiting with bated breath at the appearance of this new gem.

"Thank you Steven" she tells me. Her voice holds the same kindness as the Rose Quartz's voice, however when she turns to the rebel's her body language changes and I can tell she is absolutely livid.

She raises up her arm and the water from the beach behinds us follows suit," you. YOU! You kept me locked in that mirror for ages,"

It smashes into the ground capturing the defective Amethyst," Amethyst," The Rose Quartz alls out. Drawing that fabled pink sword seen in all the leftover records of the world.

The fusion rushes at us, as the Pearl and the leader work on freeing the overcooked runt," We need to withdraw! We can't win this in a straight out fight," I tell the recent gem who was freed.

She get's the memo and releases the hand of water. With another swish of her arm the ocean is split in two," let's go Steven," hand in hand we both make a run for it.

The path of water closes behind us, finally getting those damn rebels off of me," hold on," I ask the freed gem as I stop to catch my breath. My vision's getting blurrier by the second. I did go roughly 4 days with little sleep. I planned on sleeping on that third day, but I woke up WAY too early. Not one getting ten hours of sleep when I normally sleep for at least 20.

"Are you alright," she ask. I'm thankful to actually have someone with me who's genuinely concerned for my health.

"I'm just a little tired, Just let me," I climb onto the gems back," I just need a little tired."

"A...piggyback ride," she ask," wait 'need a little tired'?" I can't respond because my eyes slowly drift closed and I fall asleep.

My eyes slowly drift open as I wake up. It's colder than before and the air is a lot thinner. Almost as much as it is on Homeworld. The oxygen content here is really low. When I examine my surroundings I see that I'm standing on water? And that's not the weirdest part, the water is forming a massive pillar stretching towards the heavens. All of this caused by that blue gem who I freed. She's sitting down looking at the sky. It doesn't take me long to figure out where she's looking. Her eyes firmly locked on the white-ish pink-ish dot of Homeworld. I can't fault her for doing it. I've done it more than once on my time here. And I've only been gone for...what I guess seven days now, because the sky's still dark. I guess I slept through an entire earth rotation. Though I can't imagine how terrible she feels. She's been here for what? 6000 years I think it was? Never able to go back home. Locked in a mirror unable to reform.

She finally notices that I'm awake," Steven?"

"Morning," I greet.

"It's night," she corrects.

"I know, but it's this weird thing humans do when other's wake from their slumber."

"Oh, okay."

"So, I've been meaning to ask you this. What's your name," I ask the sea blue gem. Despite her being one of the few I consider among my friends.

"Lazuli. Lapis Lazuli."

"Yellow Diamond," she has a small moment of panic realizing this," but, don't worry. Friend can call me just… Steven." I extend my hand to Lazuli to help her to her feet.

She's about to take it when she pauses," what? What are they doing here?"

"What is it," I ask her.

"The Crystal Gems...there here," she laments," and they're not alone."

"What do you mean they're not alone? Who's with them?"

"Two humans," she says and I immediately have an idea of who the hell came along.

"The humans had a van with them didn't they?"

"Huh,well… yeah," she ask unsure of why I'm asking this.

I sigh," put me down there. I know the two humans."

"What, but the Crystal Gems are down there," she objects.

"I know that, but I have you to give me support. After all this planet is mostly water and you appear to be able to use it quite well."

"...was that your attempt at a compliment," she ask.

"I make an effort." I take two things out the box. My clothes from Homeworld in case these get messed up in the fight and two destabilizers.

She chuckles and pulls me under the water. Dragging me down to the surface. Sadly she forgets a pretty important thing as she pulls me down to the ground. I can't freaking breathe under water! I'm forced to hold my breath the entire trip. I watch all the wildlife that got caught up in this as I descend. Thankfully it isn't too long and I'm at the ground within a minute. I'm spit out of the water pillar and I heave to catch my breath.

"Wow. that woman really does lack foresight," I say standing up and looking at those in front of me. It's the Crystal gems just like Lapis said however, Connie and my father are also here.

"Okay, I can get why those pebbles are here," I point to the Crystal Gems," but why the hell are you two here?"

"Language," my father tells me and I roll my eyes.

"So, why ARE you here," I ask.

"Um, well...you're friend stole the ocean," Connie tells me.

I look over my shoulder at the large pillar of water," that would explain a lot."

"Listen Steven we need the ocean back," my father pleads," Beach City's economy depends on it."

"Not just that, but most of the life on Earth depends on the ocean," the Rose Quartz tells me.

I raise an eyebrow to their objections," so? We'll put it back when we're done with it."

"We also can't let Homeworld know we're here," the Pearl adds.

"Well that too," the Rose Quartz says.

"Well if it's the ocean you want, I can give that back, but," I draw one of the destabilizer I brought with me. The fusion's the first to react. Rushing forward ready to grab me.

I remember what Jasper told me. To wait for the right moment to strike," I'll be damned if I ain't telling Homeworld about you," there it is! I take one step forward and jab the destabilizer right into the abdomen of the fusion.

"Garnet," the Rose Quartz calls out, but it's too late. The yellow veins form along the fusion's body and the limbs fall off and then it poofs into its two component gems. A ruby and a Sapphire. No, wonder I didn't recognize a gem by the name of Garnet. It's a filthy cross gem fusion.

"Well, I guess the battle has begun," right on cue Lapis provides support. Out from the pillar effigies of the Crystal gems from behind me all made of water.

The effigies rush forward, but I stay behind. It's clear that this right is one that rushing in on things will only lead to my defeat. The defective amethyst is fighting her effigy poorly. Her effigi matches her in speed and strength. She has nowhere to go. Rose Quartz is facing off with her effigy well and I'd expect no less from the famed rebel leader. She matches the effigy blow for blow. Getting in a few slashes, but the effigy is not falling easily. They exchange blow after blow neither ready to finally back down. Out of the corner of my eye I see something. I quickly sidestep to the side. Narrowly dodging the the blade of a spear coming right for me. It's blade comes dangerously close. Enough that it cuts right through the shirt I was wearing. It's the Pearl! The goddamn Pearl out of all things. I jump back putting distance between me and this strange Pearl.

"I must admit, I did foresee this coming from quite a ways away," I take of the ripped shirt that my father gave me. It was a nice gift, but I could tell it wouldn't last long. The crystal gems stop dead and their tracks once they see what gem I bear.

I take out the black orb and push it towards me. It changes to light and when it solidifies I'm wearing what I came to this planet in," Yellow Diamond," the Rose Quartz states in a mix of fear and anguish.

"Actually. The one you knew was my mother," behind my back I ready my destabilizer to strike again," think of me as...the new and improved version."

I pull back my arm reading it to thrust forward into the Pearl. She parries it with her spear, but she doesn't get what gem destabilizers do. Once the spear hit's the prongs on the destabilizer it falls apart," gem destabilizer work on all kinds of gem magic," I tell her.

I'm about to finally poof the Pearl when the Rose Quartz throws some pink shield comes flying at me. I duck underneath it," COME ON WHERE THE HELL DO THESE DAMN WEAPONS COME FROM!?" Can all of them summon weapons? Even among soldiers who participated in the battle against Rose's rebellion weapon summoning is a rare trait. I've tried to get Jasper to teach me, but she insist that weapon summoning is something reserved for soldiers.

"Move Pearl," she commands and the Pearl retreats.

The Rose Quartz begins running at me brandishing that pink sword she bears. I thrust my destabilizer towards her. She circles around me and hit's me in the back with the blunt side of her blade. "Steven," I hear my father exclaims.

I regain my balance and step away from the Rose Quartz," you are just as the legends say," I tell her.

"Steven just give up now. I don't want to hurt you," she answers.

"Sorry, but giving up isn't an option for a Diamond," I take out my other destabilizer and try to use it on her, but before I can react she's already broken the new one and sent me sprawling to the ground.

"Steven. This isn't a fight you can win," she tells me.

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT," I ready the communicator on my wrist to speak into it. In an instant and with delicate swordsmanship she slashes the communicator right off of my wrist. Her swordsmanship so flawless she didn't even give my wrist the slightest of cuts, yet she perfectly cleaved the black band.

I jump back away from the Quartz gem," I'm not going to kill you, but you I will leave you unconscious," it's strange. In her eyes...I don't see any hatred, malevolence or bloodlust; just regret and sorrow. She pulls back ready to finally end this scuffle the two of us shared.

She launches forward. The blunt of her blade ready to attack. Time seems to slow as a thousand thoughts blur through my head. The thought of me staying on this rock forever. But, that's not what sticks. The thought of Lazuli being stuck here. Unable to go back home. Doomed to spend the rest of eternity on this planet trapped back in that mirror. Screaming out with a silent voice to be freed. The idea of my only friend spending eternity suffering starts a fire in me. I face the quartz general in front of me. I refuse to lose here and let Lapis Lazuli be stuck here any longer! The yellow gem on the center of my chest begins to emit a bright glow. The Rose Quartz see's this and readies her shield. I reach into my gem and I pull out a summoned weapon of my own. I don't even get to see what it is as all I do is bring it downward on the Rose Quartz. It clangs against her shield with enough force that she skids backwards on the dried sand, and then fades right out of my hands as quick as it came.

"LAPIS," I call out. A hand from the pillar forms and pulls me back in and forces me upwards. I come back to the top of the tower stopping to catch my breath.

"Steven are you okay," she ask.

"No not at all. Those crystal gems are still there and there coming up."

"No. No. No. NO! Just give me enough time to stretch this ocean back home-"

I stop her when I see a flaw in her plan," WWWHHHAAAAATTTT!?"

I sigh and pinch the brim of my nose," Lapis listen to me. There is not enough water on this entire damn planet to get it anywhere near the galaxy that Homeworld is in!" Wow, this gem really lacks any foresight.

"Well sorry-"

I interrupt her again," no. It's fine. It's just that I lost my communicator down there and we have no way to just fly off of this dman rock."

"If my gem wasn't cracked I could just fly away," she says.

"WHAT!?"

"What," she ask probably and rightfully scared of my erratic screaming.

I grumble and reach into my pocket and hand her a small green vile," what is this," she ask.

"It's something Homeworld developed. It can heal cracks in gems," I tell her.

"What really!?"

"Of course. They don't let me go anywhere without it. Now turn around," she faces her back to me and I see the sea blue tear drop gem that's embedded firmly in her back.

"Here it goes," I dip my fingers in the solution and put it over her gem. Soon enough the gel forms around the gem, hardening and then it falls away revealing a completed gem.

She rises to her feet with authority. Her gem glows and out reveals two wings made of water," thank you Steven!" Her eyes are finally back to normal with the pupils back. I'm grateful for that. IT was a bit unsettling to awake to a gem with pure white eyes.

"It's no problem," I say. She flaps her wings and then leaps off. Without any chains to hold her down she's finally free.

"...I feel like I'm forgetting something….OH NO! I'm still here!" And only to make things worse the pillar of water I was standing on begins to fall away.

Falling down I say to myself," and now I'm falling back down to Earth…. That gem really does have no foresight does she?"

Looking down I see exactly how far I have to fall before I even come close to smacking back down," and this is how I die…. At least I managed to rescue a friend."

"So you are kinder than you act," a sweet and kind voice I recognize says. It's the Rose Quartz! She grabs on to me and my descent slows down dramatically.

P.O.V: ROSE QUARTZ

The child begins to try and wiggle free from my grasp," don't worry," I tell him. I pinch him in the back of the neck and he goes limp. Falling unconscious in my arms.

Seeing him asleep so peacefully it's hard to believe who he is. A person raised on Homeworld obviously and one of the Diamonds Matriarchs none the less. And he came armed with a weapon that was able to poof Garnet all the way down to her components. Even if he wasn't armed with those new high tech weapons he would still be a strange case. On my descent I examine the child. He definitely has a physical form and not just a light based one. And I can tell that he has flesh and actual blood flowing through him. Yet at the same time he is clearly much more than a normal human. He has a gem just like me and is far more resilient than any human. He posses the ability to use magic and he even managed to summon a weapon from his gem. But the gem he has is without a doubt that of Yellow Diamond. But, this isn't something as simple as her shapeshifting into a new form. This is a completely different perfect amalgam of different species. The blend between organic and inorganic life. A perfect hybrid between a human and a gem.

"We will definitely have to talk about this later," I bubble the child and send him back to the temple. He shouldn't wake up too soon. Greg will definitely be worried for Steven, but right now we have to make sure that he doesn't drown with the ocean coming back.

With the child gone I don't have to fear accidentally hurting him. I increase the speed of my decent dramatically. I plummet into the water much faster than before. I summon a bubble around me and I fall into the water. It's going to be a very long walk back to the temple in Beach City. Hopefully the Crystal Gems won't react to negatively to finding him there. I just hope Garnet can keep both Amethyst and Pearl under control while I'm gone.


	8. Crystal Gem Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven is finally awake at the temple. After a brief interaction with the perma-fusion, Garnet. They reach an odd agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's past midnight when I'm uploading this.... you see kids this is what happens when you play Disgaea 5. Just ended up getting Logan as a recuitable partner when I was WAY TOO UNDERLEVELD! I just got done with Spirit Interment and was riding high, nearly died if my overlords wen't overleveld as shit. H2-oh my gosh! IS this the first chapter with an actual story in the notes? YES IT IS!!!! Trophy unlocked. Anyways, same old same old, subscribe, comment, kudos check out my tumblr: Dragonrusher21 where I post more things.

I wake up to the noise of a heated conversation," well what are we going to do with him," a voice seemingly younger voice ask.

"We'll wait until Rose get's here," a more stoic voice responds.

"Well we can't just keep him in a bubble. He'll pop that in an instant," another voice squawks.

"Lower your voice Pearl he's waking up," the stoic voice answers.

When my eyes adjust to the change in light levels I see that this is definitely not the ocean. I'm floating in another one of those orbs, but these are definitely similar, but different. I'm in a stone room. The voices are are leaking through the open doorway leading somewhere else than here, but it closes and disappears. Shutting out all the noise. Where the hell am I anyways? I examine what's floating in bubbles with me and my heart stops. There's a massive number of gems trapped in these orbs. All poofed and just waiting to be used for whatever purpose. Am I about to be harvested!? No that can't be. If they were going to harvest me they would have done it earlier. Maybe they are going to interrogate me or something?

The door from before opens and in walks the fusion I poofed back at the water pillar walks in. And it looks dead up at me," how are you feeling," she ask.

I keep my mouth shut and turn away from the fusion. Is it really necessary to remain fused for this?" I know you may not be in the best of moods right now, but we only want your cooperation."

I keep my mouth tightly closed," please just work with us and things will go fine."

"No way in hell I'm, ever working with you," is the only thing I leave the war machine with.

She sighs and heads back through the door. The next rebel to talk to me is the Pearl. She clears her throat, which is an empty human gesture. She has a light based figure, and therefore no real throat," Steven. Garnet told us that you don't want to work together-"

"Leave," I command the Pearl.

"What? No," she responds.

"Did the Rose Quartz teach her Pearl to be so snappy," I wonder aloud.

With a single sentence I get the Pearl to stomps away angry," such a crass Pearl," I admonish.

I wait a little longer and the next rebel to step in is the runt," and you are here to tell me what…?"

"Well as funny as it was too see Pearl angry, ya need to work with us," I cringe at the way this Amethyst says things. I thought the Pearl was crass, but…. this is something else.

"And If I don't?"

"Well, flatten homeboy like a pancake," she threatens smashing a fist into the palm of her hand.

"...what's a pancake?"

"You know flat, brown, pour syrup on them," she describes.

"Still lost," I tell her.

She groans in exasperation and then leaves. Not caring to close the door behind her," so how'd it go," the Pearl squawks from outside the room.

"He still refusing," the Amethyst moans.

"He can't refuse forever. Can he?" Of course the Pearl can't decide what to do without a master around somewhere.

"Well he sure as hell ain't gonna be helpful now," the Amethyst adds.

"Then we wait," the fusion stoically responds. I sigh and ready myself for a long long wait.

I sit here suspended in this bubble waiting for time to go by. It's a bit awkward since everything has a pink hue to it. And that I'm also suspended in the bubble floating. I decide to try and name as many of the gems bubbled here to make the time go bye. I can only name like 6 out of the hundreds of gems we have, but it's kind of hard when I can't actually see their physical form to identify them, not just there small gemstone. Yet, the true question on my mind is, why don't they form? Are they unable to? It doesn't seem like it because there aren't any cracks and none are shattered. There just sitting here all floating in these bubbles. The color from the bubbles ranging from a red, to purple to even a white. So, the type of bubble I'm in isn't unique to the Rose Quartz.

Sitting in this bubble for so long I start to grow bored and more so hungry," these stupid crystal pebbles," I lament.

"I at least need something to eat while I'm here," my stomach makes an awkward noise.

I sit down in the bubble and try to stifled the empty void-ish feeling emanating from my stomach, but this isn't a problem that can solved through sheer willpower alone. I sigh with my resolve to stay headstrong and steadfast finally breaking," ...Rose Quartz's Pearl," I call out.

I expect the servant gem to show to help me with my predicament, but I instinctively recoil when I see it's the fusion,"Gah, what are you doing here," I bewilderingly ask the fusion.

"Pearl's busy and you seem like you needed something," she answers.

"The only thing wrong is that I asked for the Pearl not soe war machine," I retort.

"Weren't you trying to be nice, besides this war machines name is Garnet." I scoff at her remark.

"So, what did you need," the Garnet ask.

"Hmmm. I require food," I tell her.

"What do you want?"

"Are you unstable or something? I just said food."

"I meant what kind of food do you want?"

"...Frymans."

"What?"

"I want to see what they serve at Frymans."

"They serve fries," she answers.

"Fries," I ask. Still unfamiliar with a large portion of Earth's cuisine.

"Fried potato sticks," she informs, but I'm still lost.

"Po-ta-toes?"

"You know. Boil 'em mash 'em stick 'em in a stew?"

"I still don't understand."

The fusion sighs and heads off. Of course I was being a bit naive thinking she'd pop the bubble and take me with her. I shuffle around impatient for whatever food these "potatoes" are. In the midst of my hunger and boredom the door to this room materializes itself. The fusion comes back carrying a paper bag that emits the same aroma that the shop did. "...here ha go," she says. Bubbling the bag and sending it off, but it reappears inside the bubble I'm in.

"Hang on," I tell the fusion before it can leave," how do I open this?"

I have the bag, but it's encapsulated in a reddish bubble," just pop it?"

"...that's it?"

She nods heading out the door to attend other matters. I take both my hands and begin to press against the reddish bubble it pops without much of any resistance," oh! So not all bubbles that they make are as sturdy as the one I was trapped in earlier," I realize it was dumb of me to say it out loud honestly. They are probably watching me after all I am their prisoner.

My stomach growls bring me back to my hunger. I open the bag and examine the contents. It's filled with yellow sticks inside. Are these those "fries" the fusion was talking about? I stick some in my mouth and honestly it's not bad. It's reminiscent of those Chaaps that I had a few days back. Clearly carrying a similar flavor and taste. I can actually understand why the fusion talked about them fondly. With my hunger sated I move onto something else, the bubble surrounding me. The bubble I'm floating in may be pink like the one I was in with Connie before, but it's not the same. I push against the walls of the pink prison and without even trying that hard it burst. I begin falling towards the floor, but I land rolling. Abating most of any harm that a mid height drop like that would do. I may zone out during Jasper's lectures, but I do listen from time to time. I quickly recover and search around. There always was a specific spot in the room that the door always appeared at. Even with close examination I can't find any access panel or anything. I guess this place uses different technology compared to Homeworld. I begin searching around looking for any other way out.

With no obvious door I move to the next striking feature of this place. The glowing pinkish red tubes running through this place. They all must to lead somewhere, and from the looks of it they are like they are what transport power through this place. Meaning I should be able to go somewhere if I follow them. I walk over to one of the tubes that go down, I could choose to climb up, but I doubt I have the strength for that. Just one look at the tube leading down I can tell I'm in for one hell of a ride, but anything's better than being these rebel's prisoner. I take a deep breath and begin sliding on the red tube. I begin sliding down at rocket speed, resisting the urge to scream my lungs out; fearing that I may just end up getting caught if I do. The tubes begin sliding me over a water filled area. With cascading waterfalls going down from three pillars. Echoing throughout the entire chamber is… "music". It's definitely being played on instrument other than a guitar...I think it was called a piano? The music is slow and steady, yet infinitely complex. Notes strung together in an amazing the central pillar of water the Pearl is dancing to the sounds. Her movements matching the flow and tempo of the song. I kinda regret that I have to continue sliding down on the tube. I wanted to see more of that dance.

I continue down on the tube. Heading down and down and down and down. It's amazing, this place looked a lot smaller on the outside. The room that Pearl was dancing in was enormous and so is the room that I came into now. All the water that cascades down ends up in here. Forming small pools, and sometimes gather enough water to form what can only be called an indoor lake of sorts. And though it's an eyesore there's heaps of garbage stacked everywhere. Nothing like how ANYTHING on Homeworld would be kept, but I guess that's the lure of a place like Earth. I begin to catch another tune in my ears. It's not a piano from above, but...it's intriguing. The noise almost sounds as if it was coming from a drum set, but...not. While sliding on the tube I can finally see what was making the sound. It was the runt of an Amethyst. She's playing an electric drum kit, it produces and odd noise for a drum kit, but... I like notes used change wildly and adamantly. Coming in piercing highs and deep lows, but the beat is never lost. I never expected the Amethyst to be one for music. The tube begin to swirl in more odd ways and sends me to the left, then up, down and up once more.

Coming back up from the black murkiness that is the space between the rooms I hear yet more music. This time it's coming from...a piano again, but a synth-piano, or more specifically a synth-bass. The notes are calm and intentional and filled with dedication. The tempo does change, but slowly and subtly. So far all the music I've been hearing have been in relation to the rebels that are housed within these walls, so there's only one choice that this music can belong to. The fusion. Waiting for me and snapping her fingers to the rhythm. Sliding back up on the tube I see that I'm in an odd place, the final destination of the tube. The power source for this place. It's a giant crystalline structure that resembles a human heart. The entire thing begins to make sense. The tubes I was travelling on are veins, the heart pumps and distributes the energy through out this place. The fusion gestures for me to come down and it's not like I can argue.

"So how did you enjoy your little stroll around the temple," the fusion ask.

"...it...wasn't that bad." It's definitely hard to admit that...especially with my pride as a Diamond.

"Well it's good that you're in a good mood, because we'll be deciding what to do with you soon."

"What does that mean?"

"Rose should be back soon," the fusion tells me.

"So she's going to kill me soon...nice thought," I mutter.

"Don't worry I've already checked all the possible futures and there isn't any where she does actually kill you," she reassures.

"...so you're part of a Sapphire," I take note.

"So, you've met a Sapphire."

"Of course. They're useful when making plans."

"But even there futurevision can be wrong. Fate changes."

I raise an eyebrow because this is the first time I'm hearing this. "A Sapphire's future vision is supposed to be accurate and without flaw."

"That's what I mean. Time flows like a river it has branching paths that stretch on and on. Many possibilities lie there, and many things can change due to a single action."

"That sounds...complicated."

"Trust me it is," she agrees.

We both stare with bated breath as the door materializes itself in the wall and in walks the rebel leader Rose Quartz.

4 Hours Later

I'm walking back to my father's car wash grumbling. I pass that woman that worked at that one place….The Big Donut? YEah, that's what it was called. She waves at me and I return the favor, but I'm still grumbling and grumpy. If I had ANY way of contacting Homeworld I would have told them to come get me and then erase this planet completely! Well...maybe not the latter. I still would leave this planet though. But, I'm sure Homeworld has no idea where I am. I'm definitely been gone long enough for them to at least figure out that I'm not there. They're probably keeping my absence under wraps very strictly. I wouldn't be surprised if the number of gems that knew I wasn't there was still in the single digits. You can't have a diamond just completely disappear and have political stability. Even with all the authority and power White Diamond has.

I reach the Car Wash and my dad drops the hose and his mouth is agape," STEVEN!" He rushes up to hug me, but he reads my expression and backs off of that.

"Oh my god where you? You were gone for a week! The ocean tower collapsed; Rose jumped up! The crystal gems forced us to go back! I was so worried! You were gone for a week Steven! A week!" He continues ranting and I wait for him to finally calm down.

"Are you done," I ask him taking my usual seat at the top of the van.

"What! How can you be so calm!?" My father objects still pacing back and forth.

"How can you not?"

"You were gone for nearly a week!"

"And I'm back so problem solved….wait a week!?"

"YES!"

"Fantastic. I've been absent from Homeworld for a week by Homeworld metrics….they've begun their search. They definitely know I'm missing. And White Diamonds pissed," my heart begins racing just at the thought of her, but I calm it.

"Well good news is that I'm not leaving this planet anytime soon," I tell him."

"What!? Why!?"

"Well for one, I have no means to get off and I managed to strike a deal during negotiations with the rebels...The Crystal Gems," I gag when I actually say their name aloud."

"A deal? Negotiations? What are you a criminal?"

"...no. I guess you could call me a prisoner of war at this point."

"Prisoner of war!?"

I roll my eyes at my father," didn't I already explain the whole civil war?"

"But, isn't it over?"

"And it's close to starting back up again. The Crystal gems…," I pause to gag a bit more," shouldn't be here right now. We thought they were all dead and gone."

"So, what was the deal you made?"

I sigh. I just negotiated for four hours a terrible deal in exchange for some lax freedom," I have to take sessions with each of the rebel gems every other day."

"Sessions?"

"You know. I just spend majority of my day with one of them. Don't know why we're doing it, but it's the negotiations I've reached," I lay down on the van and reach my hand up to the small dot called Homeworld.

"Well at least you're back," my father says yawning.


	9. Things Better Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven's first session begins and this time it's with the leader of the rebellion Rose Quartz herself. So what will happen at the strawberry battlefield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys I'm here again. Woooooooo. It's 12:00 again. Late uploads are late and IDGAF. Just same old same old. Tired as all hell, subscribe, kudos, comment if you enjoy and if you want my tumblr just go to like ANY other chapter and get it there. I'm tired as fuck and don't feel like putting it there. Might edit this chapter and put it in later though, but don't count on it.

he night has turned to day as I begin my first session with the rebels. My father is still skeptical of letting me do this, but I assure him that I don't want to do this either. I'm only doing this in exchange for some freedom. I'll just go along with this until Lapis… hopefully doesn't forget to tell Home-world that I'm here and they come and get me. My father reluctantly let me go, because for one it's not like he can actually stop me when I'm strong enough to literally toss him if I wanted too. My dad has given me some for me to buy myself some lunch. But, I skip over buying that now deciding to cross that bridge when we get to it. Today my session is with none other than the leader of the rebel gems; Rose Quartz. Standing next to her is her Pearl; standing in a defensive manner trying to protect her master.

She's waiting for me right outside their base," hello Steven," she greets.

My response is a begrudging grunt, she giggles a small bit,"come on there's no need to be hostile," she offers me a hand, but I sneer and turn away.

She sighs and let's it slide," so Steven what do you want to do today?"

I pause when I hear her words. I'm her prisoner, I'm at her mercy, why the hell is she even asking me anything? "I don't know. I've only been to a few places on this entire planet, granted one of them was the bottom of the ocean, but that's another thing, so don't even ask me."

"I see...you haven't been anywhere particularly interesting," she thinks for a moment, but her head perks up and her eyes forming into stars," I have an idea."

"I doubt it's a good one," Rose's Pearl gives me a glare, but I return it with a sneer.

"Steven, Pearl," Rose lightly scolds.

"Steven that's not nice-"

I interrupt the Rose Quartz," listen. It's a Pearl. I'm a diamond. I don't have to be nice," I stop when the Rose Quartz puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Steven, there is no such thing as status here. Here a human is the same as a gem, and a Diamond a Pearl," she explains.

"What? That's not how it works on Homeworld!"

"...welcome to Earth," she says giving me a shrug.

She has a vine wrap around my wrist like a leash as she walks towards the warp pad nearby,"..what do you mean welcome I've been here for apparently two Earth weeks at this point. What kind of welcome comes this late," I rant following the Rose Quartz to the warp pad.

"Do you know how," she ask.

"The warp pad's archaic, old fashioned and in need of serious maintenance," I examine the out dated tech even further.

"You seem to be well versed in technology."

"Of course. My division was the one focusing on gem technology. I have to read thousands of reports on countless projects that are military based. Homeworld's progress has been far from static since you've last been there."

"Just like Earth. Nothing remains the same forever," the Rose Quartz comments.

"It's insulting to compare Homeworld to this rock."

"Is it really," she ask as she warps us both to whatever area she had in mind.

"The warp stream seemed to be fine…," I trail off when I see what I'm looking at.

It's a massive wide open space stretching as far as I can see. But, the most striking feature is that their are countless weapons sticking out from the ground and that the ground is covered in lush green bushes. The air here has a sweet smell to it as well. I take a step from the warp pad my curiosity peaking with this strange place. Walking on the worn dirt paths. The Rose Quartz watches me from behind. All my senses seem to be in a trance from this place; simply because this is like nothing I've seen, heard, smelled much less contemplated can even exist. I see a large battle purple axe stuck into the ground. Definitely belonged to a fusion...possibly an Amethyst fusion. I move on from that exploring more of this long ago civil war battle field.

"2- 12- 3," the Rose Quartz speaks up.

"What?"

"2- 12- 3, that's the date this battle occurred," she explains.

"I've read about it."

"But, did you really," she ask.

"Of course. I remember reading that report."

"But, through Homeworld's filters."

I turn to her and tilt my head to the side," what do you mean."

"Truth is not exactly something Homeworld prides itself on-"

She's interrupted by my laughing," you don't think I know that!? I was one of the people doing the lying!"

"But, who was doing the lying to you," she ask. My laughter dies down as my thoughts take a more grim turn.

"You may have the Yellow Diamond, but do you really think that they even trust you enough to know what really happened," she ask.

She continues to pressure me down with more questions," do you really think they trust you? In their eyes you are half human, half impure half broken, half defective." Her words sting far worse than any weapon.

"The diamonds don't even consider you their equal. You're a burden on them. They'll use you when you're needed and then throw you away without a second thought. To them that status you take oh so much pride in as Yellow Diamond is nothing to them."

"Shut up," I say in a shallow hushed breath, but the Rose Quartz does not heed my commands.

"Blue Diamond doesn't spend time with you and White Diamond…. Has she even ever met you face to face? Has she ever actually spoken to you?"

"Shut up!" I yell, but still she refuses to listen.

"Homeworld views you as a nice show piece to hold up. You're there to sit there and look pretty. To them, you're just the fanciest Pearl they have on standby."

Her words know how to get to me. The like acupuncture pins sticking into every single insecurity I posses. Striking at the latent thoughts, my buried desires and darkest truths I refuse to consciously acknowledge. All of it boils inside me in a hellish stir pot of emotions. And I deal with it all, by running away. I take my two legs and run with all my might. Ignoring the paths and heading through the plants. Getting the light red fluid all over me in the process, but I don't care. I just need to be alone. I need to think. I just… I don't know.

I find these floating rock and I hop to from them to the highest point. I sit down on the grass and just sit there. I place my hands towards my chest. Towards the last and only memento I have from my mother. The Yellow Diamond gemstone. This...is what defined me. It define my existence, my importance, my goals, my desires, my past, present and future. All defined as being Yellow Diamond, but I'm not really "Yellow Diamond". Deep down I knew I'd never get the same respect, the same amounts of power and authority as my predecessor once did. And… it hurts. To strive, to want to NEED to live up to expectations. To be someone else. It's ironic.

"I'm a diamond only one of me exist; making me the definition of unique, yet I wasn't even trying to be myself. Its funny, but painful. So very painful. Isn't that right, Rose?"

I don't know how long, or when she got here, but I only notice her now. She doesn't say anything just extends a hand to me, offering me a hand up. I hesitate as memories of the dream with White Diamond stir up, but this is Rose not White Diamond. I take the offer. I grasp her hand and I stumble forward. I fall into her lap and just cry. Letting my emotions that have been bottled in for so long. It's nice to finally have someone to be comforted by. A pleasure I never had until now. I cry and cry until I eventually just wear myself out. Falling asleep in the lap of Rose Quartz.

P.O.V: Rose Quartz

He's fallen asleep. His breathing has returned to normal and he seems to have calmed down. I sit here with the young hybrid in my lap; quietly stroking his hair. I so do loathe having to say those things to him, but lessons through pain always are more...poignant, but effective. It was something he'd never realize himself, yet knew deep down in his heart. A truth he refused to accept a, a reality that he didn't live in. Accepting those two things are the second step in his growth here on Earth. He may be half of a diamond, but he's also half human. Underneath the cold cruel exterior of a gem monarch lies the insecurities and personality of a child. Still trying to find his own place and reason for existing. He's shown that he's starting to truly become himself.

He begins to stir from his slumber," mm, mmm?"

He looks up at me with those piercing yellow eye and then turns back over to go back to sleep. I chuckle," sorry Steven, but we can't stay here forever."

He grumbles something, but seems determined to sleep. "Alright if you insist," I say picking him up like you would a sleeping child.

I carry him through the strawberry fields; swatting away the butterflies as I walk. The sun is beginning to dip down over the horizon. I definitely over extended my time with him a little bit, but I didn't want to wake him up while he's sleeping. Hopefully Greg won't be too worried. In future outings I'm going to have to keep a more of an eye on the time. Carrying him like this I'm beginning to feel a certain...emotion welling up inside me. It's oddly warm. Is this what the humans call...maternal instinct? Regardless, I think I am fond of it.

We reach the warp pad. Steven does manage to stand up on his own, but his eyes are still half open and he's clearly waiting for his next chance to sleep. I turn on the warp pad and we are pulled away in the warp stream. We both sit in silence. Though it's peaceful this time. A comfortable silence that is so rarely found.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see Steven look over at me from the corner of his. This is more than a glance. He holds his gaze for a solid minute. He turns his head away and breaths in a heavy sigh. I ready myself for whatever movement hill make next, but what he does catches me off guard. Because there is no one I could have ever thought he'd do. He wraps his arms around me in the warm embrace of a hug. He holds it for as long as he can, but as soon as the warp stream begins to end he corrects away and going back to that noble, stoic posture of his.

We return to the warp pad in front of the temple back in Beach City. Pearl is waiting for the both of us,"oh! There you are Rose! Greg was asking about Steven nonstop!"

I'm about to say something when Steven says something before I can," I'm sorry I may have held us up slightly longer than intended, and for that I apologise."

Both Pearl and I pause when we hear him apologise, but he steps off the warp pad to head back to his father's car wash," oh and...Pearl," he takes in a deep breath before saying the next part.

"...I'm sorry for what I said earlier this morning," he follows up. Walking on as if nothing happened.

The both of us left dumbfounded by the boy. Left in udder shock and awe. We're left in silence with the boys tracks left in the sand. Pearl turns to me with a startled look on her face. I think that it's still about Steven when I realize, that it's because I'm smiling. I smile often, but even Pearl can tell that this one is different. It's not the warm smile regularly adorned, but stronger and exceedingly more vibrant. A smile a mother gives her child as they run off to school and Pearl knows that better than anyone else.

"Don't worry. It's nothing," I tell her.

"Are you sure," she ask.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just that I've grown fonder of him."

"Fonder of him?"

Pearl has always been the most skeptical and hostile to Steven, and I'd hate to admit it, but she has grounds to be as hostile as she is. The previous Yellow Diamond was one of our sworn enemies. Many gems did lose their lives to her in direct and sometimes indirect ways. And he bares her gem. But, more than that it's hard to understand him. Today with my words I was taking a gamble. Making assumptions based off of what I know. And what we do know is next to none. Even his very existence is hard to understand. How, when, where and why? How does a hybrid like him exist? When did Yellow Diamond find the time to perform a stunt like this? Where did this entire thing occur and why. Why did she give up her very existence in favor of his?

"Rose. I trust you more than anyone, but can we be sure about this?"

"..no," I answer honestly," even with Garnet's future vision I can't land anything down 100%. The number of possibilities this can take is just as endless as the universe."

"But, are the risk worth it?"

I think back to what possible future's Garnet's told me. The general gist are he stays loyal to Homeworld and eventually we are going to be forced to put him down. Next is he remains undecided refusing to fight for earth or Homeworld, but in that case the Earth is destroyed along with Steven and us on it. The last one is that he joins us, and that opens up a new path that I think leads to the better. I implore Garnet to explore these possible futures even further. My desired goal is to get him to join the Crystal Gems. The only worry is that we haven't explored that path far enough and the end result is the same as all the rest. Much like Yellow Diamond; I'll put my faith in him it's all we can do in a situation so dire.

"You know Pearl. I honestly can't say I'm 100% sure, Pearl. I'm not 100% sure."


	10. Fire Salts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a lot of things to think about, so he airs it out by heading to the big donut only to stumble upon relationship troubles that he attempts to make better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's nearly 1 AM for fucks sake. I need to upload this shit sooner. But, when it comes to schedules I am crappy mccrap at that. So subscribe, kudos and comment and I'll be back tomorrow, but I will say this is catching up with the version on fanfic.net so do expect that chapter a day thing to go away, being replaced by as regular updates as I can manage.

I walk slowly back to the Car Wash. I just have a lot to think about on my mind. First off is Rose… and where do I begin. She’s unlike anyone else I’ve ever met before. In a way she reminds me of Jasper, providing lessons through tough realization instead of Peridot’s slow and monotonous lectures. Oh...Peridot and Jasper. Those two left my mind almost as soon as I got here on Earth. Those two are probably one of the few aware of my absence. Peridot was probably the first to find outl calling for me all the damn time for any reason. I get annoyed just thinking about Peridot and all the times she’s bugged me.

But, I can’t blame her. She had to teach me a lot in a very short time. Gems have memories and rules pre-implanted into them. Such as how to walk, talk, and normally function. I wasn’t like that and they had to wait to teach me things and I still barely hold the knowledge an average gem has over a variety of subjects. Peridot was constantly drilling me over every detail in gem history, mechanics, gem production. If she didn't meet quotas on how much I knew then she’d be shattered and replaced. But, not all of her lessons were so bad. I rather enjoyed her lessons on technology. It was always fun. Learning about the most recent tech, designing it and messing around with it. It does stand to reason that those were her best lessons she is an engineering gem. 

I did enjoy learning with Peridot, but I always had more of an affinity towards Jasper and the sparring practice she put me through. It was intense and multiple times I was left sore and sweaty. But, I enjoyed the pulse pounding combat. The way that you're senses seemed to be forced to expand. They way you had to keep every muscle in your body working as a cohesive unit, and the quick thinking involved was just my favorite. She never had to worry about meeting quotas because I always surpassed them earlier than I was supposed to. She also struggled with actual verbal teaching and focused much more on the doing; which isn’t so bad. I do learn better that way hands on.

Though my whole perspective on my tutors has changed. Rose’s words weren't entirely new revelations. I had my suspicions, but I always batted them away out to the back of my mind. The lies, the hate, the terrible reality Homeworld displayed in front of me as truth has begun to crumble. Did my tutors enjoy their time with me? Some of the time, probably. There are times when I did get to see them be more relaxed than usual. It always seemed off, that they always felt so tense around me. I had my suspicions but when I asked my Pearl about it, she denied it without hesitation. But, now I can quite clearly see the noose Homeworld had around their necks. 

I chuckle,” I’m talking bad about Homeworld. That’s treason…. I guess they are rubbing off on me,” I take note. If Homeworld invaded this minute would I go with them. Reluctantly, but of course I would. But, would I be the same? No, absolutely not. Here on Earth I learned that sometimes it’s not bad to treat people on the same level as you. 

“But, should I return...,” I ask myself. Unsure of what the answer honestly is. 

“Well I should return to the car wash. Father is probably getting anx-,” I’m thrusted out of my thoughts and back to reality after I run my face against a...what was it called? A lamp post? Whatever it is, I don’t like it.

“Gah, stupid thing,” I kick it causing it to bend in an awkward angle. 

I turn around to see that one girl closing that one shop the The Big Donut,” hello...uhh... Sadie?”

She waves awkwardly and heads on her way,”...I think that could have been better,” I note. Continuing my way towards the car wash. 

“Steven,” I hear my dad cry out once more. I’m getting some intense deja vu right now. 

“Hello. Relax I’m fine,” I respond.

“What!? How can you just say it like that!?” 

“Well is this the first time I’ve showed up late? Besides, I think I rather enjoyed today.” 

I hop on top of the van again like I always do and watch as my father calms himself down,” you done,” I ask. 

“Oh boy... ,” he hyperventilates still, but it’s calmed down,” okay. Things went well.. Steven is safe.” 

“You worry too much about me.”

“How can I not. You’re what? Nine years old and still a kid.”

“First off, I’m thirteen. Second, I'm strong enough to nearly knock down a light post. By the way I almost knocked down a light post.” 

“You’re thirteen!? Wait, you knocked down a lamppost?” 

“How did you not know? You were there when I was conceived? Do you not remember dancing with the yellow lady? And uh, yeah lost my temper, I kicked it and it’s bent now.” 

“That’s going to be expensive,” my father laments.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure no one knows that I did it...well Sadie does, but I think she won’t tell.” 

My father sighs,” I need to sleep.” 

“I took a nap earlier today, I’ll be here if you need me.” 

“Oh boy...okay.” I can tell he’s growing more accustomed to my late arrivals.

I spend my time doddling around ;biding my time. I'd hate to admit it, but my first of the many session...wasn't so bad. I found it enjoyable, I've grown fonder of Rose. But, I'm not so sure about the rest. The Pearl, the fusion and the defective Amethyst gem. The one that blows over best with me is the Permafusion, but I'm not even sure about her. I never really talked with the Amethyst,so I can't really form an opinion on her, but the Pearl. That Pearl has a personality akin to salt water. Well not so much the water and more the intense regret you feel whenever you accidentally get salt in your mouth while swimming. Just rather...unpleasant. 

I take the ukulele and began plucking strings. Slowly gaining a semblance rhythm: 

It’s been a long time

It’s been quite awhile

I’m not the same

I guess you could say I got a new smile

I’ve left home

To a place so strange

A place where up is down

It spends my head right around

Will I be able to turn around?

To turn my back on this new place

To turn my back on this new world

I’ve got a new face and smile

All gifts from a world so wild 

A place I’ve never known 

A place that I might just call..home

I sigh finished with the small little song I made on the spot. I do keep on strumming on the ukulele. I find the melody to be calming. I have a lot on my mind. Mainly the Crystal Gems. All four of them. Their pink leader, the permanent fusion, the Pearl that reminds me of the sea and the defective Amethyst. Rose is nice, I like her. The permafusion...is quiet. That Pearl….that Pearl is all I can say. The defective Amethyst and I barely even come in contact, so I don’t know what to think of her.

They night turns to day and I’m still strumming away,” hmmm, only every other day do I hang out with one of those gems,” I think aloud.

I set my guitar aside. Gradually growing more and more bored and therefore restless,” what to do? What to do?” 

“...donuts. That’s what,” I answer hoping off the van. 

I enter the walking donut,” oh, hello Steven,” says the one called Sadie. 

I look around noticing a missing person,” where’s the tall one with orange hair and dumb ears?” 

“Lars,” she states. 

“Pardon?”

“His name is Lars.” 

“We;;, you knew who I was talking about, so what does it matter. Any way where is the secondary unit that is stationed here?”

“What?” 

“Where is the Lars person?” I rephrase. 

“Oh, he called in sick today.”

“Sick? Describe sick.”

“You know, when you get all achy. You’re tired, you spend most of your time sleeping and stuff,” Sadie explains. 

I take a minute to digest this information,” so you’re not screaming stuff with your allies?” 

“....no,” Sadie responds unsure. 

“Then come with me,” I tell her taking her hand and guiding her. 

We walk for some time, but eventually Sadie hears what I could hear even all the way from the van,” what that’s Lars.”

“I’m aware,” I tell her. 

We peek over some bushes and see Lars jumping around with three other people. I’m about to say something when Sadie hushes me down. We watch as they do whatever their doing. It puzzles me, this probably has some significance, but I wouldn’t know it. I look over at Sadie and see that expression of red faced anger turn to one of sadness. I can hear her crying, but I don’t know what to do. I’ve never really had to deal with anything like this before.

“Uh...you okay,” I ask her. 

“No,” she responds. 

“Shhh,” I remind her. 

We begin walking away. Sadie’s still crying and I’m still uncomfortable,” ...care to enlighten me on uh...what is going on because uhhh… I’m an alien. I don’t know what this is.”

“Well...me and Lars-,” she begins telling a story about her and Lars. It involves “Videogames”, “Player-one’s” and “Player-two’s.” I don’t exactly get it. I didn’t pay that much attention because it’s quite hard understanding a person while they’re...doing whatever Sadie is doing. 

We finally get back to the Big Donut and Sadie’s...ehhh tears have died down. She calls Lars and there's another emotion explosion as I call it. She begins to ramble and I begin to tune out. Though I do catch onto one statement,”-I just wish I could get him to confess-!” 

I interrupt her right there,” you want a confession?” 

She nods,” hold on I have something that will help with that,” I tell her. 

I get up and begin to go back to the van. Well more specifically the box of stuff I brought. I grab and it and began shuffling through it.There’s my clothes a few odd objects; none are useful nor the thing I’m looking for. After ruffling around a bit I find what I am looking for. It’s a vial, corked shut. Inside are small bright red crystals. I'm familiar with this. I’ve used this more times than I can count and that’s what I love about these.I once made the mistake of trying some when I was younger it was a small bit. It did teach me a lesson not to eat random stuff you find around in Peridot’s lab. 

I reach Saide in the coffee smelling Big Donut,” here have him ingest these in one manner or another,” I instruct.

“What are these?” 

“Something to get a confession out of Lars.”

“But, I…,”she begins to back out. Her cheeks are red and she begins fidgeting. 

“Listen I tuned out most of your rambling-.”

“Hey!” 

“I make no apologies, anyways I was saying you seem hurt. You seemed like you really needed help. Even as someone who's not from here. I’m able to tell you that you needed help, so here that help is.” 

She considers it for a moment. Turning to the vial and then back to me. Turning to the vial and then back to me. She repeats the process a few times until she finally takes it from me. Grabbing one of those donuts and dumping it all over it. A bit of an exuberant amount on the donut. Okay understatement, she poured on way too much. I’m not going to stop her though. I do follow her because I want to see this going down. She’s standing outside the “Big Donut” calling Lars on her phone. Telling him to come down here. I takes a while and Sadie has to fend the donuts off from seagulls, but the red heading human does make his way here. 

I watch from the small table outside the big donut waiting for Lars to take a bite,” ello Steven,” yay! I know that voice.

“Hey Rose,” I say as she takes a seat next to me. 

“What are you doing,” she ask. 

“Sadie and Lars were having problems so I decided to help.”

“That’s nice,” she says. 

“Thank you,” I say. A clear sense of pride in my voice. 

We sit back and watch. Sadie gives him the donut. Lars eats it. His face flushes red, sweat begins to pour down from his face. Smoke fumes from his ears. Both Sadie and Rose immediately realize something’s wrong. Sadie begins to panic as she begins chasing Lars around and Rose just turns to me. She is not amused. I am though. I chuckle watching them run around. It’s funny. 

Sadie runs to us in a panic,” wha-, wha-! Help!”

“Steven...what did you give her?”

“Fire-Salts.” 

Rose raises an eyebrow,” you gave her an object used in torture because!?”

“What! Torture!?” Sadie is not as amused as I am either. 

“Well yeah. I mean you said you wanted a confession out of him. I find that Fire-Salt’s work well to get one of those. Though you did use an objectionable amount.”

“Well! What am I going to do!?” 

“Wait here,” Rose tells Sadie as she begins to deal with the situation. I’m slightly depressed, I wanted to see Lars run around more. 

“Steven,” Sadie laments slumping down in a seat next to me,” where’d you even get that?” 

“I bought it when I came here from Homeworld.” 

“Homeworld?” 

I nod,” yeah, Homeworld is the place I was born. And also where Rose Quartz and her band of friends is from….well belonged to. Full gems aren’t really born, nor are they always produced on Homeworld….let’s just say that they used to citizens of Homeworld.”

“What?” 

“It’s complicated.” 

“...holy Shit you are an alien.”

“Thank you for telling me that,” I sarcastically remark. 

Rose finishes up with Lars and is carrying him unconscious over her shoulder,” here. Your friend should be fine just make sure he gets plenty of water.”

“Well that was fun, but I think I’ll go mess with something else,” I bid adieu.

“Steven hold on a minute,” Rose says. For some reason when she says my name this time It doesn’t make me happy.

“What is it?” 

“Steven. I know you were aware of what Fire Salts can do. I know you had other methods. Yet you still used Fire Salts. Do you understand the consequences of you're actions?”

“I do.” 

“Then don’t let it happen again,” she tells me.


	11. Know your fusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven's second session is with the stoic fusion. It's awkward at first things seemingly go fine, but our young Steven has a few questions for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well you are finally caught up with fanfic.net. Both are finally on chapter 11 so no more chapter a day kinda things. The next chapter might be up over the weekends and that go9es for both sites, but I make no promises. Also give me some of your favorite fluff episodes of Steven Universe for me to do. I do these in bulk And I literally did just finish chapter 15? I don't give them numbers until I actually upload them, bad idea in hindsight).

It's been a few hours since the whole Fire-Salt's incident. Normally I'd blow anything using Fire-Slats off my shoulder and get on with my life. But for some reason I'm unable to shake this. I lie here on top of the van tossing and turning unable to exactly understand why. This is going to bug me all day tomorrow won't it? I groan; tossing and turning unable to get sleep. This continues until the sun comes up and the sky is blue with large clouds. The chill in the air is even worse than before. I've been sleeping outside this entire time, but I might not be able to do that anymore.

"I'm off for another session with the Crystal gems," I tell my father.

"Okay. Just try not to come back so late."

"I make no promises."

Heading over to the crystal temple once more. I went into the big donut and bought something to eat. It was just a sack filled with doughnuts. It might not be the best thing to eat, but they're tasty and I like them. There's a few glazed donuts, jelly filled donuts, some with icing too. I eat one as I head toward that temple the crystal gems stay at. Outside waiting for me is Rose, who I still have an awkward feeling bugging me about. The Pearl is still there at her side. They Amethyst is even there; she's sitting on one of the stone hands that have fallen. And the fusion is here too. Her face is still as apathetic looking as ever.

"Hello Steven," Rose says.

I wave back in response trying to hide the shifty feeling I still have," who will I be paired with this time," I inquire.

Everyone looks towards the fusion. I can't exactly knock their choice though. Out of everyone here I have the most stable relationship with her," is that it?"

"That's it."

They nod and Rose leads the rest of the gems off to do something. Leaving just me and the cross-fusion. The silence between the two of us is substantially awkward," so what are we doing," I ask trying to break the very very awkward silence.

Her only response is handing me and old statue. It's of a woman holding a blue gem. I recognize what it is, but I laugh," what are we doing with this? Scrapping it for reuse?"

"That's the moon goddess statue," she informs.

"I know. That's why I asked are we scrapping it?"

"No. We need to place it back on the pedestal in the Lunar Sea Spire."

"Why? It's a Lunar Sea Spire, they served no real purpose aside from aristocratic meetings. You aren't using it, so why save it?"

"That's something for you to know later."

"If you say so."

Well whatever. I just go along with it. I don't consider it wise arguing with a fusion. We step onto the local warp pad and the fusion turns it on, sending us to the archaic seas-pire. When the warp stream fades I'm met with a sight I've never seen. We appear at a warp surrounded by the sounds of a roaring waterfall and wet mist in the air. I'm surrounded by dilapidated ruins of a light grey stone ruins. I begin to walk around the base of this fantastic place. I walk around my footsteps echoing as I walk through. The foyer of this place is intricately carved and detailed. With ponds that have cascading waterfalls falling down and down and collecting into decorative ponds. I look up at the main attraction of this place. The tower itself. It stretches up to the dark blue sky filled with place must be very far away from Beach City. It's day back there and the air is quite warm here. It makes it a comfortable change. All of this together with the way the moonlight illuminates this place forms a majestic sight. I've been to a few aristocratic meeting places, but none like this. Most places like this aren't kept for long. The planets they're on are usually kindergardened quickly. All the ones I've been two have always been small, not meant for many gems to be there in the first place. This is just the opposite; this place was a hub for thousands of aristocrats. And possibly even Blue Diamond herself.

"You seem to be having fun," I hear the stoic fusions say.

"Oh, right."

We walk through the spire. Heading upwards. Sometimes the corridors head straight, sometimes rising at a slant and other times circular stairs back outside that rise higher and higher. We enter a corridor that's just a straight stretch to stairs on the other side, but there's a mass of crystal shrimp. I take a step towards them and they all turn their heads my way.

Instinctively I pull my foot back out of the way and then go back to shuffling around," don't do that. Take a single step towards them and they'll devour you in a matter of seconds," she warns.

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't good."

"...any idea on how to get around it," I ask her.

"I'm sure you have an idea," she replies with a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll figure it out."

I don't get what she's talking about, but I better mull it over with with the doughnuts I brought. I take a seat against a nearby fallen pillar and just sit down thinking about how to solve this; while munching donuts. I can't take out all the shrimp without them quickly slinking over and stripping me to the bone. I can't find any other way to get across the crystal shrimp. Nor am I willing to take the risk of making a mad dash across. They may not have legs, but by no means are they slow. They'll just eat me if I try. My thoughts are interrupted when I'm about to take a bite of a doughnut when I stop. It's one of those gross plain ones. They're not bad when warm, but cold like this makes them just really gross. The only good thing this would be for is fish bait… I have an idea.

I stand up with the gross plain donut, which might as well be a bagel and I toss it a few meters to the side near the crystal shrimp," not half bad of an idea if I do say so myself," I say.

The path leads to more spiraling stairs on the outside of the spire. Along the path are waterfalls the pour down and go off the side filling those ponds that were all the way back down on the base. Looking up I can see that we don't have much farther to go. We both walk in silence until the fusion breaks the silence," you were on fire back there," she says.

I stop dead in my tracks,"...WHAT?"

I immediately run into one of the cascading waterfalls," WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? IF I WAS ON FIRE WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME OR TRY TO PUT ME OUT! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS-, WHAT I CAN'T EVEN."

For once I see the fusion take off her glasses with a sigh. Showing three eyes and all of them have the same dissapointed sort of emotion in them," ...considering I have future vision it's quite amazing that I didn't see that coming."

"What is?"

"Come out of the waterfall. 'You're on fire' is a way of saying you were doing good, here on Earth," she explains.

It takes me a minute to register what she just said," well that's confusing and now I'm all wet," I complain.

"I probably should have warned you about that."

"No kidding," I snarkily reply wringing out my shirt.

We continue up the stairs making awkward small talk. Very awkward small talk, but a question that's been lingering on my mind for a long time," pardon me for asking, but why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you, exist for prolonged periods of time?"

"You mean stay fused?"

"Of course. I'm wondering why? You haven't done anything since we gotten here, aside from getting me wet, you didn't even fight the crystal shrimp, nor are you doing anything with the combined size of your components. There's just no practical use to stay fused like that. "

"It's because I- WE want to stay fused."

"...why?"

"Because we just like that way."

"I still don't follow."

"How do I say this in a way you'd understand? What do you like?"

"...donuts, architecture technology, Rose…," as I list them off I find that a lot of the things I list off are on Earth which only further unsettles me.

"Hmmm, Sapphire and Ruby view each other the way Rose views all life on Earth," she says.

It's as if a light bulb was turned on," oooooooohhhhhhhh, why didn't you say that before?"

"I don't know, Steven."

"New question."

"What is it?"

"...well yesterday I used Fire-Salts on Lars…."

"Why'd you have Fire-Salts?"

"Because they can come in handy, anyways when I did Rose pulled me aside-"

"She scolded you," the fusion says.

"Huh, what's that."

"It's when someone pulls you aside and tells you you did something wrong."

"Well, yeah I guess you could say she scolded me."

"I'm surprised that this is your first time ever getting scolded."

"Diamond remember."

"Oh, right."

We reach the top of the spire. I see a beam of light with a pedestal floating in it. Ahhh, now I get what's going on. This hole at the top is like a vent. Letting out excess energy. And the statue was to stabilize it otherwise this place would be utterly destroyed by itself. "There It is… Steven the statue," she ask.

"Don't worry I got it," I say placing it on the altar, channeling all of the bright plume of light into the stone the statue's holding. Illuminating the gem so it's shining brightly.

"...where'd you get that," the fusion ask.

"Oh. I saw you leave it behind and I felt like it was important so I took it with me."

"...good job," she says though in her words I do detect a hint of amazement. Don't know why though.

"C'mon let's head back," she beckons.

We walk back down the spire which seems quicker than last time. Maybe it's because now that everything here is stable the dull blue color of this place has seemingly gained some of it's life and luster back. Once I'm on the warp pad I look at the newly restored tower. The new shine given to the place all adds up to making this place look even more magical than before. With that we slip away into the warp stream. When I come back I see Rose pacing back and forth talking to her Pearl. I run forward and hug Rose almost reflexively. She hugs me back in a warm embrace.

"That's cute," I hear from behind me.

Instinctively to preserve my dignity I pull back," aw, Garnet why'd you have to go and do that," Rose complains.

They occupy themselves with talking; I use this to slip away unnoticed by them. Walking back to the car wash I don't even notice the chill because my face is so warm. It just makes me feel so… ARGH! I don't even know words to describe this feeling. It makes me feel somewhat queasy inside, but not because I'm sick or nauseous it just something I can't pin down. On Homeworld I was supposed to be the cold emotionless leader and the only emotions that I was actually allowed to show was contempt, apathy and fury. Sadly, this emotion isn't either of those!

"Steven! You're actually back on time for once," my father jokes.

I don't respond only taking a seat and pondering my emotions," Steven," says a voice that actually pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Connie?" Sitting atop the van, in a way such a similar way to me.

"Guess what," she entices.

"...I understand my emotions?"

"No-, wait what?"

"Emotions. They are confusing," I tell her.

"Yeah… uh… care to explain," my father ask.

"Ok," I sit up," well when I got back from the Lunar Sea Spire I hugged Rose, uh... Garnet then said that "it was cute" and now I feel all warm and awkward inside and I don't get it-"

I begin to continue to ramble about my emotions on and on," and now I feels super hot and I DON'T KNOOOOWWWW….emotions are weird," I finish off, but I can tell that despite both my father and Connie's eyes are looking towards me. They're not looking at me.

"...what?"

"Steven..you're on fire," Connie compliments.

"... 't get why you're complimenting me, but okay."

"No. Literally on fire," my father explains.

I'm what? I check my reflection in the window of the van and yes. Yes, I am on fire. Around me is a thin layer of dancing orange yellow flames without qualm. "It appears I am on fire. Literally this time, so I have to ask what tHE HELL IS WRONG WITH EVERYTHING ON EARTH!? I AM ON FIRE AND BURNING YET, YOU'RE JUST SITTING THERE. GRAM SOMETHING AND PUT ME OUT YA DINGUSES," I yell running off.

I go to the closest place where I know people are competent," HEY SADIE," I shout as she locks the door.

"STEVEN, WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"CARE TO HELP ME WITH THIS?"

She runs inside and my first thought is that she's abandoning me, but she comes out with a red tube and shoots foam at me," THANK YOU!?" I have no idea what this is, but I'm not on fire anymore so I think that's good.

"What was that," she ask me.

"Don't ask someone who has no clue," I yawn.


	12. Insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a pair up this time going with both Pearl and Amethyst to find the heaven Beetle, but Steven takes a lesson that words can hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the first post after you guys got cuaght up and words of the wise I just realized that I need to binge make more of these chapters since I only have one in the reserves so I expect "The End" to be updated and I will be posting less often to give myself more leeway. So same old same old, kudos, subscribe and comment. Follow me on my tumblr: dragonrusher21.

I sleep the entire day that I am away from the crystal gems. Connie mentions how my sleep pattern is weird, staying awake for two full days and sleeping on the third. Getting to sleep wasn't easy after you know, being on fire. I still am a bit tired. Thankfully I'm not singed from the fire at all. Though I'm still looking for whatever set me on fire. I grab another bag of donuts. Sadie ask to see if I'm all right all I do is comment on how that foam tasted awful. She seems super weirded out, but fair enough I would be too. I thank her for the donuts and head to the crystal temple.

"Hello Steven," Rose greets.

The first thing I'm about to do is run and hug her, but I think back to yesterday. I hold back and I feel all warm again."What's gotten into you," the fusion...Garnet ask.

"Nothing. Nothing."

"So who do I spend time with today," I inquire.

Rose wraps her arms around the Amethyst and the Pearl," both at once," I ask unsure of why we're switching new formats.

"We have to go find the Heaven and the Earth beetles. You don't exactly seem like you can stand a volcano." With that Garnet summons a pair of goggles.

"Fair enough," I admit.

"Alright, guys huddle up let's review the plan," Rose commands the other Crystal Gems.I stand at the sidelines trying to listen in on what they say.

"Alright, so Amethyst and Pearl climb the tower and find the heaven beetle with Steven."

"I don't see why we have to bring him along," the Pearl objects.

"Because he needs to get the basics of what a mission is down. And he seems to live going on adventures."

"Well Why don't you come with us," the Amethyst ask Rose.

"Because I have to do something else."

"And what is that what else," the Pearl ask.

"You'll see I assure you," she says," ready? BREAK!"

With that their little group gathering is over Rose ask me an odd question I don't understand," Steven! What do you prefer? Lions or tigers?"

"...I have no idea what either of those things are."

"Uh, well how do I explain this," Rose begins to wonder."

I decide to put to use this little trick Connie showed me. I reach into my pocket pulling out a silver coin," heads: lion tails: tiger," I say tossing it into the air.

The silver coins flips into the air. The fresh morning sun glinting off it," tails," we all say in unison as I catch it.

We could have actually caught it and checked, but it's kinda easy for any gems and even me a half gem to watch and just estimate what the coin would land on by the time it begins falling back down. "Tigers it is," I say.

"Well I suppose it is," Rose giggles ruffling my hair.

The three of us step onto the light blue warp pad," be back soon," Rose bids farewell as we all transport to wherever this "Heaven Beetle" lives.

Things are awkward in the warp stream. The Pearl still is still reminding me of the ocean and the Amethyst…. I don't know what to think. I've never interacted with a defective gem before. They're normally just harvested. Not really allowed to exist for any amount of time. So, I'm not sure what to think of her. We all just sit the the very bland silence. I'm quite thankful when the blue warp stream disappears.

I see that we're on a high up mountain. The clouds here are below us. Easily placing us above 20'000 feet. The air here is chilly and cold and I can tell that the oxygen up here is incredibly low. If I was a normal human I would be dying of hypoxia up here. The sight though is incredibly. It's noon here and way the colors blend beautifully. I look at the mountain we're on. It's the tallest and stretches up far. With a winding staircase going up and up and up.

"More stairs," I lament.

"Well let's get this show on the road,"

"Hang on," I tug on the Amethyst shirt," what is that?"

I point to this shaggy white animal with horns that's munching on grass," you mean the goat?"

"...hmmm so this is a "Goat"," I walkover and examine it. It's a bit creepy because it's eyes are rectangular.

I raise up my hand and then slap the goat. It makes a loud noise in objection and rearing up both of it's back legs it kicks me in the stomach sending me sprawling back," dddduuuuuuddde," the Amethyst laughs.

The goat runs away climbing on the rocks to higher ground. I'm still on the ground coughing and trying to regain my breath," ummm, Steven are you alright," the Pearl ask.

"...I don't like goats."

"That goat didn't seem to like you much either," the Amethyst comments.

"Well...I don't know what you should have expected when slapping something," the Pearl mutters under her breath. I'm taking a bit back by this. I'm just not used to Pearls...saying things like that.

We climb the tower's steps; giving me some nostalgia for the Lunar Sea Spire. I can tell that this place has aged much worse than the spire. I take a single step and the stairs crumble to dust under my feet," Steven are you alright," the Pearl ask quickly pulling me away before I can fall over the newly formed cliff.

"I am falling to my death so that's a plus," I tell her.

"What's with the joke," Amethyst ask.

"I make them when I'm stressed….now pull me up please."

We continue our trek up the hill until I hear a noise that makes my heart skip a beat," no no no stay away from me," I run behind Amethyst in the opposite direction of that "Goat".

"What'cha doin? It's just a goat?"

"No that thing is evil! Now do what you were made for a protect me!"

"Wait. Made for," Amethyst ask.

"What? You don't know your purpose?" Really? Strange, I would have expected for her to at least know it. Unless no one's ever told her.

"Well you're a quartz gem. Made for combat. Like Rose, but Rose was more of a defensive type gem. Though I don't imagine you'd actually be used because you're so small." Out of the back of my eye I can see Pearl behind us waving her arms about.

"What? Why not," she objects. Pearl only begins moving more.

"Well because you're defective. Like I said you're a quartz you're supposed to be as tall if not a little taller than Rose...okay what are you doing," I ask Pearl who has only begun moving more erratically.

"What!? Are you saying I'm wrong!? Are you saying there's something wrong with me!?"

"...well objectively….," Amethyst doesn't even let me finish. She walks up to the goat.

"Amethyst," Pearl objects, but to no avail as Amethyst hurls the goat at me.

The goat skids on the ground and manages to stop before crashing into me," woo hoo," I celebrate. But, it's too soon as the goat kicks me anyways. Amethyst storms off heading upwards.

"AMETHYST," Pearl shouts out, but Amethyst ignores her and keeps on going.

"...Pearl," I ask standing up after regaining my breath from getting kicked by the evil creature.

She gives an exasperated sigh," not now Steven," she tells me as she moves on following after Amethyst.

Going up the tower feels awkward now. That… unsettling feeling has risen in me again. It feels similar to the one Garnet explained to me, but...not the same. I know I feel bad, but why? I was gonna ask Pearl, but she declined. It all confuses me so much. These emotion things. I'm not used to them in the slightest, especially not these new ones. We cross a river jumping from rock to rock. Climb another set of stairs that circle around until we reach the peak. We see Amethyst sitting atop what looks like a tiny building at the end of a long path.

It's clear she's not in any better of a mood. I slow down and let Pearl go ahead in front of me. Letting her do the talking," amethyst...where's the heaven beetle?"

"I don't know it wasn't here when I got here," she grumbles.

"Did you even look," Pearl ask.

"No, it's just not here Pearl!"

The two begin arguing back and forth. It's not ending anytime soon I can tell that much at least. I take a seat on the ground just watching the two voices loud and obnoxious; reminding me of the times I could hear Jasper and Peridot argue through the thick walls of my old home.I look up scanning my eyes along the skyline. There's fluffy white clouds in the sky and… a black dot? Peering my eyes I keep them on that black dot, as it grows larger and more detailed. Showing that it's not the dot wish it was. But, a corrupted gem beast soaring through the skys. I turn to the two crystal gems who are still BICKERING OH MY GOD!

"Pearl Amethyst," I call out. They don't here me.

"Pearl. Amethyst," I call out louder. They still don't hear me.

I stand up," PEARL. AMETHYST. LOOKUP!" I order sharply. Both Pearl and Amethyst finally stop arguing and turn to me, but it's too late because the bird has swooped down and snatched me up.

I tumbles around inside the beast reminding me of the smashed escape pod I used when I got here. When I come to a stop I'm in the mushy insides of beast. "Well this is just fan-diddly-tastic," I pout. The inside of the bird is fleshy and filled with other gem shards that cover the walls.

I just sit there until I notice something scuttling by," and what might you be?"

I pick up the tiny yellowish colored gem creature thing," oh hooooo, you must be the Heaven BeeTLE!" I panic when the floor seemingly lurches as the Gem Beast begins to do something.

I dig my fingers into the fleshy ground gagging," oh, this is so gross," I lament.

I look up too see that the stupid goat is also in here and falling right towards me," You stupid son of a clod," I belt out as the goat smashes into me knocking me down.

My anger begins to burn inside of me. I've had enough of this goddamn Goat! I'm stuck inside a giant bird! I left my doughnuts somewhere! And Amethyst is mad at me and I don't know how to deal with it! I push the goat off of me making sure to land a solid punch in it's face before kicking it away.

"I'VE HAD IT UP TO HEAR WITH THIS GODDAMN TOWER, MOUNTAIN… I JUST DON'T GIVE A DAMN ANYMORE," I roar.I can see orangish yellow flames beginning to ignite.

The flames burn hot. Searing a hole right through the bird causing it to fade to white. Then reform each piece into a tiny bird of it's own. I land rolling to abate some of the fall heading over towards Pearl and Amethyst.

"STEVEN," Pearl squawks trying to pick me up and carry me but, kept away from the flames.

The flames begin to sputter out and I'm left out of breath," I swear I'm am so done with climbing anything! And I uh….," I pant trying to regain my breath.

"And I uh..huh..need a nap," I slump over as everything begins to dull.

"Steven lookout!" Pearl's words are muffled through my own exhaustion, but I know she's screaming.

She tosses me over her shoulder as we begin to run. In blurred vision I can see that behind us are the miniature birds chasing us. "You should hurry," I yawn.

"We are," Pearl yells. Heading down the spire at breakneck speeds.

We reach the warp pad the Amethyst swinging her whip futilely trying to get rid of the birds," Amethyst.," Pearl yells. It takes me a second to use such old technology, but the second amethyst steps onto the warp pad I whisk us off.

The blue stream fades and we all appear in front of the temple," can I take a nap now," I ask Pearl who's still carrying me.

We here a familiar voice gasp," ccccuuuuuuutttttttteeeee," Rose exclaims.

I'm about to make a witty remark in my half e, but I stop when I see a rather large box with holes in it,"...you care to fill us in on that," Amethyst ask.

"Well-," we all stop when Garnet steps off the warp pad.

"Garnet! Excellent timing!"

"I saw this coming and I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You're right...Steven you feeling alright," Rose ask.

I yawn," I'm fine. I just kinda...burned myself out," I say nearly falling asleep, but lurching back awake.

"...was that a pun," Pearl ask.

"...what's a pun?"

"I don't know what I expected," Pearl sighs," so, what's in the box?"

"C'mon I want Steven to open it," Rose giddily says.

I sigh," alright. I'll do it."

Pearl sets me down and I stumble towards the box only to realise it's like four feet tall. I can't even open it; it's way taller than me. "...I can't open this. Unless whatever in this is gonna come here I don't-," I stop when whatever is in the box heeds my commands and just tears through the cardboard with a roar that was like a bark.

I see a four legged animal. It's not four feet tall now, but I guess it was sitting in that box. It's covered in light pink fur and stripes of a darker hue. It runs around excitedly sniffing everything," what is this," I ask unsettled by the sudden animal.

"Remember this morning?" Rose explains.

"...I can't believe I forgot about that," I yawn.

I begin to examine it; careful not to slap it like the evil goat," so this is the...lion? Well...come on Lion," I tell it.

"...it's a tiger," Garnet reminds me.

"Oh… right."

I guess I'm too tired to really think am I? I wave them goodbye heading back to the carwash. Leaning on Lion in a half asleep state; nearly falling. I head past the donut place, the fry place and this other food place I have yet to actually go to. Grey clouds float in the sky. The salty air wafts in my face; blown by chilly winds. I yawn reaching the car wash. I hear the soft strums of my father's guitar.

I wave to him," oh hey Steven...ummm where'd you get the uh… pet?"

"Rose." That one name explains most if not all of the situation to him.

"Oh...what'd you name it?"

"Lion."

"I might be wrong because they normally aren't pink, but isn't that a tiger?"

I nod,"...are you going to fix that?"

"I'll fix it later I'm too tired," I yawn.

"You have a point it is getting kinda late, and stormy."


	13. /revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rainy night, he and Pearl spend some time together. Coming up with what he hopes will be a solution to his schism with Amethyst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back and with a chapter of this because you guys seem to love it. In news not relating to this I have just decided to watch Mob Psycho 100, I'm uploading this before I begin episode 1(not watching on crunchy roll because I'm a broke bastard). Anyways if you on my tumblr expect some stuff about that in the following days. Regardless, follow, fave and review if you enjoyed. My tumblr URL has been in just about ever chapter so go back to any of those if you want it.>>>> Okay I fucked up. Accdientlaly posted this to "The End"(check it out) . I fixed it.

I look up at the sky and see the clouds have turned a dull grey. The sky is dark and winds are begging to blow; making me feel more chilly than before. It's not helping that my eyes already feel heavy. Though it's strange. Earth itself is much like the life here. Never the same, always changing. It's gotten colder and now it seems to be getting more hectic on this planet. It makes me wonder what to expect in the upcoming days. I do know one thing is destined in my future. Lapis will return to Homeworld with news of Earth. Homeworld's going to return.

A light flashes in the sky," what the hell was-," I'm interrupted by a titanic boom roaring through the skies.

"WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL! ABANDON SHIP! IS THIS WORLD ENDING ALREADY," I yell frantically jumping into the back of the van with Lion following soon after.

We huddle together as the noise continues to boom through the sky. My father pokes his head in the van," are you alright?"

"I'm doing just dandy, OF COURSE NOT!"

"You've never heard of thunder or rain before?"

I'm about to make make another sarcastic comment, but he stops me," that was rhetorical."

"So, what is this rain?"

"Well...you know what happens to water when you heat it right?"

"It's evaporates turning into steam," I say stifling my need to make a sarcastic comment.

"Yes, that steam gathers into clouds and eventually falls down as rain."

"Hmmm," I stick my hand out of the open doors. I can feel the drops of water hit the palm of my hand one after the next.

With my heart finally beginning to still and adrenaline leaving my veins the sense of fatigue returns. I lay down on Lion who's nuzzled himself on the side wall. His fur is soft and I find the slight rise and fall of his breathing and the warmth soothing. His fur is soft. Easily softer than what I had to sleep on back on Homeworld. Back on Homeworld all I had was akin to a flat board. Stiff and uncomfortable. So far just about everything on Earth I've slept in has been better than that. But, now I can't get to sleep. This background noise of the thunder is something neither me nor ion can fall asleep too.

"Isn't it a bit early for you to be going to sleep? You normally wait a few days."

"I exerted myself more than I should today."

"Meaning..?"

"Pyrokinesis."

"What?"

"Fire… I make fire… I think...I'm really too tired to even think straight anymore."

"Well if you need to sleep I can tell you a story."

I consider it for a moment. It sounds dumb, very dumb, but at this point I could go for anything," alright, go ahead."

"How about the story of how I met your mother-"

"How about, no."

"What? Why not? I'd think you'd be one of the people most interesting in this story."

"Mainly because one, I don't care. I'm not her so why should I give a damn about her goals, accomplishments and other burdens I have to live up too. In a futile attempt to be taken as seriously as someone I don't see as a mother, but a title," I pause briefly before yawning," I guess I'm too tired to give one of the halfhearted lies as well."

There's a very awkward and piercing silence,"... I still don't hear any stories.

"Uh, okay," my father begins desperately rummaging around when he pulls out a… book. I'm not too familiar with those. From what I know they're like the reports, just not on one of the hollow-screens, instead opting for paper and sometimes a bit of cardboard.

"How about this. It's called "An unfamiliar familiar"...where did I even get this?"

He begins reading me the story and all in all… it's alright. I've definitely read better war stories in reports, but this isn't too bad. I'm guessing I don't understand a large chunk of it because I've been on Earth not that long, and I barely understand half of what was going on and there are words I'm left asking what the freaking hell does that mean? Regardless of the stories quality. I eventually fall asleep to the story; even if it may be lack luster.

My eyes just open when I wake up to a sound all too familiar and all too annoying. "Steven you're-," my father stops as I stomp in direction of the damn noise.

It's that damn truck again. Constantly blaring that stupid slogan! "Oh god not again," I hear the guy inside lament.

I say nothing. I only take the wheels off of the vehicle and toss them into the ocean. "You always do this! Why do you always do this-," he continues to ramble, but I walk back to the car wash not paying him any more mind than I need too.

"You woke with quite a stir," my father jokes.

"You could say that," I muse while rummaging around.

"...what are you looking for?"

"That book."

"Oh. I think I left it," he begins rummaging with me before pulling out the book and handing it to me," here you go."

"Thanks," I say heading to get my morning donuts with the tiger following close behind.

On my way there I begin skimming the book trying to get to the part we left off on I realize something quite important. Despite that our languages are nearly phonetically identical. The language of homeworld is definitely written much much more differently. I can make out a few words, but not enough to even read the book. When I come to the Crystal Temple I'm disappointed that rose isn't waiting for me. Instead is Pearl.

"What's with that face," she my emotions can even override my formal training as a leader. I quickly switch force it to the blank expression I normally take.

"I need help," I admit showing her the book.

"What," she ponders flipping through it," aside form this being… boring there doesn't seem to be-."

"I can't read."

"You can't? They never taught you?"

"No. I can read. Just not in this language."

"That's fair," she spouses," so you want me to teach you how to read english?"

"Preferably."

"Come with me," she beckons.

I take her hand and follow her. She leads to a building a large one.A woman at a desk recoils back when she see's Lion follow us in. Inside is a...rustic smell, and shelves packed to the brim with books. On Homeworld we have lot's of writing's. I've read page after page of reports, but rarely is it something physical. I find it staggering seeing just how much writing they have on Earth and how much of it is a physical copy of something. Not a file, not a download, but something you can hold and touch.

"Where are we," I inquire.

"The library?"

"...that explains so much," I sarcastically respond out of habit.

"...it's where books are kept in bulk. You can rent them for an allotted amount of time."

"Nothing like this on Homeworld."

We find a cubby hole in the back with a window behind it to read in. I take seat in Pearl's lap as she begins to read,"...you sure you want me to read this? We can get another book."

"I'm sure." Pearl begins helping me read the book. We don't make much progress, but we're getting somewhere.

"Lion, stop that," I admonish. He looks dead at me, then continues chewing the book.

I begrudgingly get up and take the book from him," eww," I carefully hold it trying to get the least amount of saliva on my hands.

"That's going to cost money," Pearl laments.

"I have no paper currency... nor do I have the metal disc."

"I suppose you wouldn't," she reaches into her gem to get some money, but I bring up a question that's been nagging me.

"Hey, Pearl?"

"Hm?"

"How's Amethyst doing?"

"Huh? Oh, she's doing...fine…" I can tell she's trying to make me feel better, but her words are a clear facade.

"I want to apologize to her."

"Steven you have to give her some time to think it over. Amethyst is...more emotional. She doesn't exactly deal too well with her insecurities."

"Well it won't get better if I don't do anything!"

"Shhhh...well I think I might know where she'll be."

We put a pause on the whole reading thing. Stepping out from the library I can see that it's much later than I thought. Dark out in fact. Kinda causes me to a bit foreboding realizing how little progress I made reading considering how long we were at it. She leads me down to than are near the beach. Far enough that we can't see the temple, but close enough you could walk her in ten minutes and get here within three if you jogged. It's an old dilapidated building. There's a bright light that hurts my eyes; contrasting form the dark sky. I can hear voices in the distance. Something about a "Purple Puma"? I give a concerning look to Pearl. She doesn't notice it, but she sighs and steels herself as we walk forward.

Inside I see a few people. Like twenty. I don't know there names, but I do see Lars. In what looks like an archaic ring are two fighters. A poor human and a shapeshifted Amethyst that looks considerably larger. It's a few seconds before the fight is seemingly over. Unlike the arena's I've seen the loser doesn't get shattered, but just leaves the ring. I peek over at pearl who's doing her best to advert her eyes, but even she can't completely avert her eyes from the thrill of battle. Though this is quite clearly one sided towards the purple quartz.

The round ends and Amethyst sees us, but averts her eyes from us. "...I want in," I tell Pearl.

"What?"

"I want in," I repeat.

"I heard you say that, but...why?"

"Because the Jasper I had back home told me something. When it comes down to it fist will always speak louder than words."

"And also I've always wanted to get in on arena fights."

Pearl considers it for a moment before sighing," fine."

"...how do I sign up?"

"...I'll work on it," Pearl sighs. Definitely a bit exasperated with my antics, but supportive.

PEARL'S P.O.V

It was a definite challenge, but I managed to convince

the human to let Steven in on such short notice. The first round begins with Steven in it he's against some human. The bell let's out a piercing ring and the match begins. The human rushes at him yet I see that he's calm. He shifts his feet and with one solid punch, he wins. He may be half human, but has the strength of a gem behind him. The fights continue as he works his way through this rather easy gauntlet to get to Amethyst, but watching him causes something to catch my eye. The way he moves it reminds me of something. I don't know what, but it fills me with an odd sense of dread. Soon enough he's reaches a shapeshifted Amethyst.

"Alright next up we got the up in coming newcomer Steven versus the PURPPLE PUMAAAA," the announcer, Mr. Smile says with vigor.

The crowd returns the enthusiasm with a grin. Amethyst readies herself and as soon as the bell rings lunges at Steven. He remains calm rearing up his right leg and timing just right so that his heel is driven right into Amethyst head with enough force that she is smashed into the floor of the ring. It hits me like a train. I suddenly realize where I've seen those move, those tactics and the skill he displayed. From quartz soldiers on the battlefield. He mimics their movements to a te. Waiting patiently for the right moment to strike with brutal force. This is the only time I'll ever say this, but Rose was wrong. He wasn't trained, nor was he ever meant to truly be a diamond, but a warrior.

Amethyst get's up quickly trying to sweep him off of his feet and she does. She pulls his own feet right out from under him. He remains calm putting his hands down. Back flipping out of the way. He stumbles a bit afterwards. I keep my eyes glued to this battle, unable to look away. I've underestimated Steven. We all did. He's young, naive and everything on earth is strange to him, but combat is a childhood friend. He dodges around Amethyst attacks with on his left heel and landing a high kick to the temple with his right. She recovers and presses hard forcing him his back to the ropes. Amethyst smiles ready to finally bring an end to this. Rearing up a fist and a sinister smile of glee, but Steven knows this. In arrogance Amethyst delays her attacks ever so slightly, but enough for steven to reach into her chest and pluck the smooth purple gem from her body. Causing the shapeshifted form to falter, then poof in a cloud of smoke. I'm left shocked and the crowd even more so.

They don't exactly get the whole idea of "poofing" and they get angry. "Oh dear," I rush into the arena putting Steven under my arm and getting out of there as quick as I can.

I manage to get him to a distant shore of the beach. "I can't see the humans anymore so I think we're good," I tell Steven.

"..okay."

"...Steven is everything okay," I ask him.

"Well...I poofed Amethyst...I won, but...what do I say?"

I sigh," I don't know steven. Me and Amethyst never got along too well. She was rowdy and erratic while I was calm and controlled. Everything she does goes almost all the way over my head, but what I do know is that she follows the rhythm of her heart. Follow yours and maybe you'll find harmony."

"Okay.. yeah okay!" My words seem to have given him at least a little bit of hope.

He sets Amethyst gem in the sand and I pull back. After just a few seconds it begins to glow. I hectically search for a hiding spot settling on the cliche and convenient boulders off to the side. "Hey Pearl," rose greets.

"What!? Why are you here," I whisper.

"Saw this coming," Garnet responds who also has decided to take refuge here.

We all peek over the edge of the rock watching as Amethyst finally reforms this time not much has changed, but she has given herself a purple necklace."Hey, Amethyst," he ask her, but she doesn't look at him. She just takes a seat on the sand a few feet away.

He's about to say something, but stops. He stares downwards unable to figure out what to say. He takes a deep breath and begins to speak," look Amethyst what I want to say is… I'm sorry. You're...not a mistake-"

"THERE YOU GO AGAIN! Saying I'm a mistake!"

"I never said you were a mistake!"

"YES YOU DID AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"No. Amethyst I didn't mean it like that. Circumstances of birth have nothing to do with this. You're you. And despite how you were made you became something. You're not a failure. At least to me."

He then embraces Amethyst in a hug," awww," Rose muses.

Steven catches us out the corner of his eye and I swear I can see his yellow eyes give the searing yellow glow his mother held. Careful not to alert Amethyst that we here he shoos us away with a hand that has floating red embers drifting towards the sky.


	14. Centipeetle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Rose spend some time together however when a corrupted gem comes into the fray Steven decides takes it upon n himself to deal with the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I'm back after a week of inactivity because I found this to be kind of hard to write. It's defintiley shorter than most chapters, but that works in it's favor for reasons you will get at the end. The next post I make should be "The End" if everything goes to plan, but I also have another fanfic in the works that is for once not Steven Universe based. Yes, I know shocker. I'll give you updates as I finish the first couple of chapters.

The air’s grown colder. The green leafs have changed to a collage of red, orange and yellow matching the sunsets. The air of the town seems to change from that boisterous madness of the heat, to this slowed down relaxation. Ornaments of sheets with faces, bats- not to be confused with the wooden ones, and there’s this smell that constantly lingers everywhere that grades on my senses. I’m fine with everything else, the cold bothers me slightly, but that goddamn smell that’s everywhere is goddamn annoying. Though I don’t notice it when I’m lost in my thoughts as I am now. All my thoughts aimed right at homeworld.

 

“Hey, Steven,” Connie greets with a cup in her hand which I retreat away from,” you okay?” 

 

I shake my head in response,” what is it?” 

 

I point to the cup she has in her hand,” the pumpkin spice latte?” 

 

I nod still pulling back,” oh right, better senses humans,” she notes continuing to drink the latte. 

 

When she finishes her drink I grab onto it and create flames turning the drink into black ashes. “Woah, you’ve gotten better at that.” 

 

“Yep! This is the first power I discovered for myself, so I want to at least learn how to use it.” The jovial tone hiding the fact that just doing something that small tired me out.

 

“How’s it going with the gems?” 

 

The questions throws me off a bit,” well, it’s going fine…” 

 

“You sure.” 

 

“Well a small schism formed between me and Amethyst, but for the most part that’s patched up.” 

 

“What happened?” 

 

“...well. I said some things to Amethyst, the purple one, she got mad, we fought and then settled it with a talk.” 

 

“Well I’m glad you managed to work it out.” 

 

“I guess…” 

 

“...you still don’t sound okay; are you sure everything's going fine,” she ask. 

 

“Yeah, mostly, what I’m thinking about is something else.” 

 

“What is it?” 

 

I’ve mentioned Homeworld to her before; explained even less, but I can’t let this eat away at me forever. I already am aware of the consequences of keeping things in. I speak with a sigh,” on homeworld things are different from here. Very different. Homeworld is rigid, unchanging. I’m the biggest change up in Gem history if you discount the rebellion, arguably. But even then I’m told to be exactly like my mother. A strict military leader pursuing new technologies, correcting management failures and leading any army against a rebellion to victory, but here… is so different. People are free to choose what they want to do. Expectations can be shrugged off and it’s sometimes encouraged. Even the very planet itself changes.” 

 

I sigh once more but with an ever so slight smile,” the point I’m trying to make here is that this is the only place where I don’t have to be told how to act.” 

 

“That’s good Steven!” 

 

“But is it?” 

 

“Wha-?” 

 

“You don’t get it. Homeworld is rigid. They don’t like this, the don’t accept this. If it’s discovered even as a diamond there’d be...repercussions.” It doesn’t take anyone with much brains let alone someone as smart as Connie to figure out what I mean. 

 

“Well… why don’t you just stay here?” 

 

“Because that means war,” I tell her. 

 

The air grows ungodly tense and stiff with the stark words we shared,” want to come to the beach with me? Might help take these things off your mind.” 

 

“No, thanks. These are things that I may not want on my mind, but I need to sort them through. Thanks for the offer though.” With that I wave her goodbye. 

 

I lean against Lion who's still sleeping despite the fact that it’s nearly noon. Laying against his soft body I return to the darkest depths of my thoughts. Wondering about homeworld, Earth and everything else. The inter-geopolitics of Homeworlds existence with two Diamonds in an already unstable place. I doubt people actually know I’m even gone. Though it’s not like it’d be hard to hide my absence. I didn't exactly do public things to often, so this is just unnoticed. So far the only gem to know where I am is that Lapis Lazuli. 

 

I doubt she’s back to Homeworld by now. She can fly fast, but not that fast. The nearest planet we control is still at least a month or two away still. A Month or two away until I have to go back. I clench my fist; a creeping sense of dread infecting my being. No other reason for this than White Diamond. Lion let’s ot a surprise grumble that startles me to my feet. Only then I notice the embers slowly rising off of me; calming myself the eventually stop. Am I really that scared f White Diamond I instinctively began creating flames? Sadly the only answer I have for that question is, yes.

 

I stumble when Lion nudges me,” what do you want?”

 

He doesn’t answer, but he begins licking the ground,”... that explains nothing.” 

 

“...are you hungry?” I guess and it seems to hit the mark because he throws his head up and gets all excited. 

 

“I hit the head on the nail didn’t I?” I nod to myself like I know what I just said, but I’m pretty sure I messed it up. 

 

The streets of Beach City are just as chilly as the car wash. The big donuts has signs in the window advertising candy; other stores have costumes hung up. Red and orange leaves blow in the soft wind. And that goddamn pumpkin smell is still everywhere what the fresh heck! Despite being hungry I go over towards the ocean, the salty air mask that infernal smell. Lion does his own thing sniffing the sand then rolling around in it. No matter how long I watch this guy I will never understand anything he does. 

 

“Steven? What are you doing out here?” 

 

“Rose!” I greet hugging her. 

 

“What are you doing out here?” 

 

“At first I was getting some food, but then I decided to come here instead.” 

 

“Well…. Do you wanna get some food with me?” 

 

“Uh, sure.”

 

With Rose holding my hand we begin searching for some place to eat. It does puzzle me to find out that Rose eats. I have to, but full gems don’t. She takes me to this place called Fish Stew Pizza. The place is odd, the food matches it well. I’m not even sure what I’m eating, but it doesn’t taste to bad. But that doesn’t mean it’s not strange. 

 

“Steven, I actually have a gift for,” Rose beckons. 

 

“What’s a gift?” 

 

“...it’s like a tribute in a way, but out of kindness.” 

 

“I think I get it.” 

 

She reached over into a bag and pulls out a yellow shirt? It’s definitely thicker and had a hood attached. And a pocket for both hands in front. “ what’s that?” 

 

“A sweatshirt.” 

 

“A sweatshirt?” 

 

“Yeah, try it on!” 

 

“..how?” 

 

“Like you put on a shirt.” 

 

“Not familiar with that process, but I’ll try.” 

 

I take “Sweatshirt” and try to put it on. It takes a few attempts; I’m not very good at this yet. When I get it on I find it to be like wearing hug. Not very mobile, but warm. “Do you like it,” she ask.

 

“Yeah, it’s nice.” 

 

“Steven, are you ok?” 

 

“I’m fine, I’ve just been doing things… and thinking about things.” 

 

“Thinking about what?” 

 

“Lapis Lazuli.” 

 

“The gem you freed from the mirror?” 

 

I nod,” Steven..” 

 

“And Homeworld too. They’re coming I know it.” 

 

“Don’t worry Steven. Everything's going to be alright,” she tries to console me. 

 

“But… will it?” 

 

Before she can answer something rumbles the ground and something green, black and white rushes past. “What was that?” 

 

“Steven stay here,” Rose tells me rushing outside. 

 

Against my better judgement I go up to the window in front of the store and watch things happen. There’s a swarm of small bug like gems each racing forward. Green acid leaking from their mouths leave puffs of smoke on whatever they melt. From here I can watch the Crystal Gems fight. The immaculate swordsmanship of Rose, the skill of Amethyst, the grace of Pearl and the strength of Garnet. What am I doing? Something's not right here. With each of the monsters the defeat there’s only a puff of smoke and no gem. Fighting these will solve nothing. 

 

I rush out the door analyzing the situation like I was taught. The smaller gems stampeded to the left of the way the Earth’s sun rose, so they all came from… the west. I put one foot after the other and head in that direction. Placing one foot after the other heading down roads and onto the beach I find the mother. It’s not much different from the other smaller ones. Just a lot bigger. It’s maw frothing with acid, white mane shuddering wildly. And it’s eyes, it’s gem, is in it’s mouth. 

 

Darting to the side I roll out for the way of the creature barreling towards me. Dusting the kicked up sand off of me I carefully watch the corrupted gem. From the clouds of sand green acid flies forward. Sliding under it and I go through the clouds of sand. Vaulting over the beast to get behind it. The only gem it has in it’s mouth, and its mouth is covered in acid. ...I can work with this. Grabbing some washed up seaweed I wrap it around my right hand. Waiting for it to turn it’s head. It rears at me with a ferocious roar. And there’s my chance. Dashing forward. Weaving around the pools of acid. Reaching into its mouth. Taking hold of the green gem. Firmly planting my feet. And pull. Taking the gem right of the corporeal body. And on the cue of the puff of smoke I shatter the gem in my hands

“STEVEN,” I hear Rose call out.


	15. The One that Got Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tensions rise between Rose and Steven. He takes some more time to himself to try and get a grasp of how to solve this situation, but will he even have a chance to solve it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I'm back. The reasons there was such a large part in between this chapter and the last is because I have another fanfic being made. Based off the web show RWBY. You've probably heard of the show and I think you should check out the fanfic. It's similar to this one in a way. It will be the main project I have, while this will take a second hand. It will still be updated just not as often as before. regardless to say check it out if you're interested and enjoy this chapter.

"Huh? Hi rose," I greet turning myself around.

She ignores me goes right by. Picking up the pieces of the shattered gem."Rose…," I say again only to get ignored and have her walk away.

"Rose…?"I call out one more time only to be left to myself on the cold beach shores.

The cold beach waters slosh against the sand. I drag my feet back into the inner city. Puzzled, confused and feeling somewhat wronged. I'm left not knowing where to head next. I walk out in front of the big donut. Not hungry anymore I just take my place on the benches outside. Gazing up at the grey skies above. The clouds have gathered together; they form a blanket over the sky masking the blue just above. It's peculiar. Nothing like Homeworld. Just another thing I don't get. Another thing to be sorted with the rest.

A warm drink is held my way," you okay there," Sadie ask. Wearing a fluffy coat.

"...sure," I say. Accepting the drink.

She takes a seat next to me on the bench. Neither of us knowing what to say to start us off. "So, Steven could you tell me what happened?"

"Well, the day started out as all days do. With me getting hungry and Lion doing something dumb. I went to the beach and met Rose, went to that one place with the odd food-"

"Fish stew Pizza?"

"Yeah. Then the corrupted gems attacked the one's spitting acid. While Rose and the others were fighting the spawns I went to fight the mother. After fighting it for a bit. I take the gem from it. Crushing it in my hands. Shattering it. Rose then shows up gathers the pieces all without saying a word to me."

"That sounds… heavy."

"I don't know what that means, but I don't think it's good."

"Well, what do you mean by 'shatter'?"

"Oh..well gems don't have a natural expiration date like humans do. They could potentially live for millennia. They don't age, nor do they have the chance of getting ill. The closest thing they can get to being dead is having their gem broken completely. Technically they're still not dead, but they won't be coming back. That's what shattering a gem is."

"You killed someone!"

"Well...yeah. I suppose I did."

"Why!?"

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? They were already corrupted."

"What do you mean corrupted?"

"Well, gems can't get sick in a traditional sense, but the equivalent to that is corruption. They lose all of what makes them themselves. Turning into a destructive mindless beast, so shattering them is the only real way to get them to stop. Besides it's the only mercy they can get."

Sadie looks at me like I'm nuts, but I move on standing up," thanks for talking to me. I think it helped, but I have to go find Lion because he's definitely doing something stupid if he's not within eyesight."

I walk off. Lion was half an excuse to just have some alone time. I just need...something. Something to help with the stress and confusion. It's not the first time I've been caught in a place like this. On Homeworld whenever I felt stressed I would drown myself in work and studies. It's time like this that I regret having lost the wristband communicator I once had. I find Lion digging holes in the sand. Dragging him away from that activity I take him to the library. Grabbing a pile of books off the shelves and beginning to read them the best I can.

Eventually just shoving the books to the side unable to relieve the stress. I rest against Lion who's laying on the ground chewing on more books. "Okay, you need to stop that," I tell him taking it away from him.

"It's not right to just ruin…," I'm going to say the title of the book, but this doesn't have one.

I open the book trying to find a title, but I don't see one. What I do see are drawing of gem artifacts. Some interesting places are counted in here too. The galaxy Warp on this planet, the Crystal Gem temple, the Strawberry Battlefield, the heaven beetles home, the moon goddess statue, and what looks like the communication relay though it is called "The Steeple of Hubris"? Whatever that means. Continuing to flip, through it I see what looks like a Diamonds Seat labeled as The Palanquin, and even one of the Kindergartens though it's unceremoniously called the "Many Holed Place".

"I do find the book to be an example of an idea that's been getting louder in my mind. Perspective." I tell Lion. Talking to him as if he even understands.

"The idea that we all see things differently. Limited by knowledge and our own experiences to make sense of things. Forcing us to define things in our own way. Was shattering that Gem wrong? Ask Rose and her answer is clearly, yes. Ask me and my answer is of course, no." I look down at Lion who kinda seems to be listening, but again I can never tell what he's thinking.

"I think my hangup is that this is the first time Rose and I have disagreed on something so fundamental. Something I'm sure she won't waver on. An idea I disagree with. Almost like the shock of Homeworld to here. You understand what I'm saying?" Lion snorts… not sure if that's a yes or no, but it is a response.

"I may have found the problem, but I don't know the solution do I," I take the nameless book and put it into one Lion's black Stripes. Saving it for some point down the line.

"Lion. Come with me. I think good when you're around."

I get up with Lion following on my heels. Walking through the cold beach city streets to the beach shore and finally to the pier. I'm trying to stay to my thoughts, but the most distracting thing is a paper hung on every street corner. They're pretty much identical. I even plucked one off a telephone pole and compared it; they're all just the same. I can tell they have a picture of the ocean with two masks; one of them smiling, the other frowning. Not sure what those mean, but there are words on it. Words on it I can barely read. I can tell it says "Beach", "Party" and "Event". Knowing that doesn't help me piece together much else from the flyer. I could ask Pearl to help me with this, but no. I don't want to. I don't think I need to be around the crystal gems, until I clear my head.

The problem is I know that this is going to bother me if I don't figure out what it says. Can't read it myself so who can I get to read it for me. I turn my head to Beach Citywalk Fries. "Hey, Peedee?"

He hurriedly sits up from a half asleep stupor," not sleeping on the job!"

"You were," I tell him," but it doesn't matter."

"Don't tell anyone."

"Fine. Only if we trade something."

"Is it free fries. I can give you free fries."

"Not hungry for once. Can you read?"

Peedee raises an eyebrow," yeah..?"

"Good. Read this for me." I put the flyer on the counter of the shack.

"What, can't you read?"

"Of course, just not English."

"It's for the Beach-A-palooza."

"That explains nothing."

"The Beach-A-Palooza is one giant festival and stuff. You go on stage and perform something or another. Go on up an' sing, or whatever it is you can do."

"Intriguing."

"Mayor Dewey is funding this. He's only doing this because an election is coming up."

"No idea, what an election is, but thanks." I wave him goodbye folding the paper into my pocket.

I head in direction of the Crystal Gem Temple. Not to talk to them, but to use the Warp pad. "Steven," I hear a voice call. I don't respond I only activate the warp pad. Taking me and Lion elsewhere.

It's to the high up mountains where the heaven beetle once resided. I scan the sights for the goat. It's not here thankfully. "Lion, come with me."

Unlike last time I was here. It's night time. The air is chilly warmer than Beach City though. Being up so high the air's clean and sky unencumbered. Showcasing the millions of stars in the sky. I retrace my steps from last time. Trudging up the steps, wading through the river and coming to the peak of the mountains. Up here it's almost as if I could reach out and pluck the stars from the sky. Of course, I can't do that. It's an unrealistic idea, thought, and desire. My life up to this point though seems to be just that. Filled with arrogant thoughts ideas and desires that can never be fulfilled, but for some reason we still have them. Regardless if they're illogical or not.

"What are these fruitless searches? These whimsical desires," I ask like a preacher to silent gods.

Lion yawns practically not paying me any attention," it's not like an animal would have an answer to that," I say to him and myself.

"All I can do is stand on my two feet and continue walking." I can feel my resolve burning within me. I do, do a brief check to make sure I'm not actually on fire this time. That's happened to me more than once.

"Still not burning, so I'm doing good if I do say so myself."

I do look down when I smell something burning. The grass underneath my feet is beginning to smolder. "Well, it was nice while it lasted."

I sit down looking over at the sunset. The sky splashed with a barrage of colors. It's fantastic. It's a good thing I can always count on this planet to put help still my mind. These peaceful views of natural beauty. Something I haven't seen anywhere else. I guess that's why I love it so much. It's a great sight to have. Maybe I could bring someone else here with me next time? Experiences are only as good as the people you share it with, or animal in this case since I brought Lion with me. He seems to be just as captivated as me with the view. Looking straight down at the expanse. Or is he. He almost seems to be looking at something else, but I can never truly tell what he's doing anyway.

"Steven?"

"Rose!" I exclaim lurching forward away from the voice intensively and off the edge of the cliff.

My brief existence was flashing before my eyes until I'm caught in Rose's soft hands."Something wrong," she asks in that soft voice of hers.

"Everything's...fine," I lie.

We walk together back to the warp pad. The silence bleedingly awkward. It's clear that a moral schism has all that, I can't find the strength to break away from her side. This isn't something we can passively solve. If we want to get through this we're going to have to sit down and talk this through. No matter how hard or uncomfortable it may be. We reach the beach shore. The rolling waves sloshing along the shore.

"Steven," Rose starts," I know you were raised by Homeworld. Trained and groomed, sculpted and measured in what they saw fit. Becoming their ideal." I'm not going to lie this is more of her stinging words.

"To blindly accept what they say as correct… it's just not something I can see you do. Just take a look at the world in front of you. There idea that all life is expendable. That it has no value. You can see with your very own eyes. That you value this planet and its inhabitants. That itself is proof that they can be wrong. All life is important."

I'm not going to say she's wrong. Most of what she said is absolutely true. I despise it when opinion gets in the way of objectivity. The Gem Matriarchy can be wrong. There's only one thing I disagree with in what she said; I just can't figure out what it is. Rose continues speaking, but I can't listen. I'm too busy picking apart her statement Half of my attention is being directed towards the sea. I can see a shadowy object moving in the water. Something about it just reeks of familiarity.

Rose stops her lecture immediately pushing me behind her," GET BACK," she demands. The pink glowing shield already out at the ready for a familiar corrupted gem to show up after so long.

It slithers out of the ocean. Letting out a roar that seems to shake the ground. Bright orange body glistening in the sunlight. The one from when both me and Connie were trapped in the bubble. The one that got away. I watch as Rose dances with the beast. Weaving through its attacks that aren't truly directed at her. The gem Beast is acting like she's a fly that needs to be swatted away. The only one it has any real hate for is me. Her shield and the beats clash in a spectacular fashion. The clashing ringing out long, far and wide. I can tell that she's losing. She can't attack back. She can't retaliate.

"Rose," I call out taking the smallest of steps forward, forming just the opening the corrupted gem was looking for.

It dashes forward in my direction.. Barreling through the sand with lethal ferocity. "Rose," I hear Pearl call out. The rest of the crystal gems are already on their way, the pink sword in tow, but too far to help me. The only one close enough to do anything is Rose herself.

I can't react. Rose does. I'm not even sure of what's going on. In a second she's in front of me and in the next grabbed by the corrupted gem. I can't even turn my head when I hear a deafening crack. Something that doesn't stop ringing in my ears. In a single instant, everyone knows that the leader of the gem rebellion has fallen.


	16. The decisions that must be made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has to come to terms with Rose, and himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the deal this was a two-parter uploaded to fanfic.net meant to upload it here. I forgot and now we have the part on this website late because I fucked up. Just enjoy the chapter.

I'm frozen in my tracks. I can't move, nor do I want to. I just sit there waiting for the reality of the situation to hit me. You would have thought that this wouldn't be too hard for me to accept after all for most of my life the reality was that she was already dead. It's easier to accept when you're raised to think of them as a monster, but once you come to idolize them. Reality becomes infinitely harder to check. The sheer shock that I'm rocked with. It blocks out everything. I can't hear the sounds of the battle raging around me. I can't feel the sand shake as they Crystal Gem fight the Corrupted beast. It's like I'm left in my own little world. Alone.

"Steven," I can hear a drowned out voice cry out.

I look up to see the crystal gems fighting. It's all hazy though like there's something in the way. I can see something on the back of the pearl. It's Rose's sword. Still wedged in its sheath. "MOVe," another voice demands.

I dash forward sliding on the ground underneath the corrupted gem as it lunges back out of the water.I grab the sheath on the ground. I grasp the hilt something does hit me when I do this. It's the realization that if I draw this and decide to use this it can no longer truly be said to be Rose's Sword anymore. I'm forced to make my decision by the corrupted gem barreling towards me. I'm forced to pull out the sword and face the gem coming towards me. I remember being taught swordsmanship by Jasper. It was mandatory, but it was something I loved. I step forward towards the corrupted gem. I duck underneath the mouth tentacles and with my other hand hold it's mouth open. I thrust the sword right at the edge of where his gem rest: wedging the sword against its flesh and the gem. With a simply pull the gem is forced out of it's resting place. The gem poofs throwing me to the sand. This time I make sure to grab the gem before it even hits the sand.

I hold the glistening gem in my hands. It's a soft one. One, I could easily shatter in my own hands. I shift it in my hands; juggling it between my fingers.

I raise the gem into the air. My grasp around it slowly tightening around it. I toss it into the sand letting it rest there. I take a seat next to it in the sand staring out at the sea. Trying to lose myself in the rolling waves on the shore. I try to think but all I can draw is a blank. I find myself describing it as I described so many things before, it's like grasping at something that just isn't there. Thoughts I'm trying to reach for, just aren't there. A situation I can't comprehend. It's maddening.

I sit there in the sand till the day grows darker. The night sky is out in full bloom tonight. Tonight's the night of the new moon. Away from the lights of the city, the night sky is clear. I trace my finger from star to star, planet to planet before coming to rest on Homeworld? Or at least I think. I try it again and know I get it wrong once more. This shouldn't be happening, should it? I know how to find Homeworld by hand. I know I can see it from here. I try it again and get it wrong still. I know I'm doing right because I'm reaching the same point in the sky, but it's too small to be what I'm looking for.

"Maybe I…?" I get up from my spot and head to the warp pad.

I teleport myself to the Strawberry Battlefield I look up at the sky and readjust my measurements. Tracing my finger across the sky until I get it wrong again. Is something wrong? I should be getting it right no matter where in the universe I'm at as long as Homeworld is visible I should be able to find it. How am I messing this up? Are there constellations hidden behind the moon? Am I just too flustered to even realize my mistake? The answer I reach for is the same as before, I don't know.

Trudging forward through the sticky sweet smell of strawberries I find floating rocks leading off over the horizon. I hop from one to the next. The closer I get the noise the louder and clearer it becomes. It's the sound of tears rolling down someone's face. I slow down coming in slowly. I find Pearl gently weeping. Clutching something close to her chest. It's the sword, Rose's sword. It's placed gently in its sheath as she cries and cries. I can't say I wouldn't do the same. It's not like I didn't come here to do the same.

My moral conscious wears on me. I turn away intent to hop back to non-floating ground. I meet an unexpected stop when I run straight into Garnet," fusion," I stammer.

"Uh… sorry."

"I think it's better if we leave her alone."

I agree with her. Following Garnet away from the crying. I don't exactly know what to say. How can I, really? It's something I never expected, no one expected, that I would have to say. What's the kindest way you can say 'hey I'm sorry I murdered one of the most important people in your live. Whoopsies!'. Sadly, it's not something I can avoid at all. I steel my souls as I find myself so often doing; prepared to finally confront my issues.

I silently take in a breath ready to from my apology," don't worry it's not your fault," she says.

"Wha-?"

"Did you forget I have future vision?"

"oh, right."

"I've looked into the future many times," she says," yet, the one thing that stays constant is that you apologize."

"It could be a pivotal point then. An unchangeable point in the timeline where if you go by the many worlds theory it's a collapse point tying them all together…,"I begin going on a long winded sidetracked monolog, detailing a bit of research I did back in the library a day or so ago. One of the books I picked up was over quantum mechanics. Kinda boring if you ask me, but I remember some of it.

I'm interrupted by Garnet's giggling," I can see the future, but I didn't even see that coming."

We share a laugh that dies down returning the silence. I'm about to say something, but she already knows what I'm going to say," it's not your fault. It was her own choice that led to it. It was her decision to do it. If you could ask her now the answer would be the same as she did."

"But, what if her decision was wrong?" I protest.

"It wasn't wrong and you know it," she takes me by the hands," she trusted you to make the right decision. You do have the potential in you. Look at you now. If it was the wrong decision would you be grieving at all?"

She pulls away standing up; towering over me," that's an answer I'm sure you'll come too," with that she walks away as stoic as ever, yet I'm sure that, for a moment, because of the angle and moonlight, I could see her eyes through her glasses. I could see a single tear not yet falling.

When she pulled away she gave me back something I left behind. I open my hands to find the gem. The gem that got away, the gem that did in Rose, the gem whose fate is now in my hands.  
What is she thinking handing me this? Is she crazy! My first instinctive response is to throw it into the strawberry fields, followed by immediately regretting the decision and going after it. I don't know why exactly I even threw it away. It was just… the first thing that came to mind was to just get it away from me. Not out of fear of it, but of fear of me. What I could do. What I feel like doing.

Sifting through the berry patches I find Lion. Gnawing on something," Lion what do you have," I ask reaching over and grabbing onto the item. Of course just because I grab it he doesn't let go.

"Do you ever listen to anything I say?" I give up on actually trying to get him to let go and resort to dragging him along the ground looking for the gem.

I constantly look over and under near and far for the gem I threw. Even encumbered by Lion. Digging through the berry patches looking for something so small, it'd be easier if it wasn't night. I could light a flame, but I run the risk of turning this place to ashes, leaving me with only one course of action. Searching by hands and moonlight. One hand specifically because Lion still hasn't let go. My arms get tired and I'm sticky from sifting through strawberries for hours.

"Stop that!" I tell him tugging at whatever he's holding onto. I yank it away from him and put it in my back pocket.

He whines and begins nudging me," you brought that on yourself. Stop." He doesn't stop.

I move away from Lion, he follows closely behind, too close for comfort. The fact that I can feel him practically breathing down my back. When I walk faster he walks faster as well. If I come to an abrupt stop he comes to an abrupt stop. He just does this, for what reason? Hell if I know. I don't know the reason he does half the things he does. I ask him and he doesn't do anything but look at me with a stupid look on his face. I break out into a run trying to put some distance between me and him. He starts running too, only a lot faster. Trampling me and running ahead. I pull myself off the ground shaking off the dirt.

"At least he's finally given me some space," I say this too soon as he whips right back around and tramples me again.

"Why do you do this to me?" He doesn't answer but only has that stupid smile on his face.

The sun has finally peeked over the horizon. Letting me see once again at least. Lion resumes frolicking around in the berries and I resume looking for the gem. This time with sunlight at least on my side. I've gotten used to that strawberry like smell that lingers around this place. It's gotten kind of nice too, but that may just be hunger. I haven't had anything for awhile. A Long while. I have been searching all night, so a break couldn't hurt too much. I look for a nice place to rest for the time being and I come to decide nearby a large ax that's been wedged into the ground. I pick a handful of berries and sit down against it. Lion decides to follow and rushes over. I shift my weight trying to get comfortable, but something always underneath me. I stand up and see nothing only to realize I did put something in my back pocket.I take it out about to just throw it when I recognize the glint of sunlight off its surface. It's the gem I was looking for. I had it since the beginning.

"A more important fact is that you were chewing on this." I give Lion a stern look, but he doesn't even seem to notice. When I threw it he probably thought we were playing fetch. And ended up taking it for himself.

I sit down and look at the gem in my hands. It's orange surface reflecting the sunlight's glare with ease. Also allowing some light to pass through creating and fiery orange tint. It looks beautiful in this light. Not a single flaw on its surface. It hasn't bothered trying to reform yet, that is what Rose's Sword will do to a gem. Even after both confrontations with this, it's just fine. Toss the gem in my hands, weight it feeling it's shaped and getting a general feel for the gem. Like I said its surface is soft. I'm actually surprised that when I was yanking it away from Lion that didn't break it.

Holding the gem in my hands I consider everything that's happened since I've reached Earth. Meeting the gems, meeting Connie, the first fight with this gem, freeing Lapis Lazuli, the mutual agreement with the Crystal Gems, finding the Heaven Beetle, the moon goddess tower, the wrestling ring, getting Lion, Lion's antics that one time, Rose's Death, all of that culminating here. Leading to this one decision. Should I shatter this gem? Every part of me is giving me a resounding yes. I clench the gem in my hand ready to shatter it, but I don't. Something is holding me back. It's not my own volition, but an unspoken promise. One to Rose, not myself. Personally, I want to tear this gem apart, but I can't. Not now at least.

"Lion," I call out. He stops looks up and then rolls over showing his belly.

"That's not what I said. Roll over," I tell him. He doesn't listen.

"Fine," I groan. I rub his belly for a bit; in exchange, he finally decides to listen and roll over. I take the gem and push it through one of the stripes. I'll keep it there for now. Outta sight, outta mind. With that action, a lot of stress has finally been put off my mind. I'm not sure if I did the right thing, or something I agree with, but I think I did what Rose would have wanted. One thing I am completely sure of is that this is the answer I've come too.

"Lion, care to make a hole back to Beach City," I ask," cause I have no idea where the warp pad is."

He seems to hear me but doesn't act," come on. Unless you want to stay here for another day?" He doesn't budge.

"Fine. I'll do something for you when we get back. I have no idea what, but it'll be something." He finally does decide that that's enough negotiation.

He get's up and stretches for a moment before standing up," can you do it this century?"

He puts down one of the black holes and pushes me into it. Falling though it's a bit unnerving. The sheer amount of a single constant color that surrounds everything leaving everything to look like a barren abyss. It's just strange and bizarre. I do briefly see the gem as I fall through, and something else I can't quite make out. I'm just falling too fast. Reaching the other side in a hurry I can't even tell what's through the hole. I get tossed through the hole and caught of course caught by Garnet.

"Oh, hi?"

"Hang on," she pulls me to the side, out of the way of Lion launching himself through the hole.

"Thanks," I mutter half out of it.

"No problem, so did you solve yours?"

"Well I'm not completely sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I did something. I think Rose would have agreed with that something."

"And that's good."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I agree with that something," I tell her.

"What does that mean."

"It means that I don't want to do what's right."

"Steven let me tell you something we all learned from the war," she holds me up bringing me to eye level," sometimes what we want to do and what's right are two different things."

She sets me down on that note. Heading off to do her own thing. Only then I notice we were brought to the beach front that I once fought centipeetle on. Her words do hit me quite hard here. Not in the normal way when Rose scolded me but in the way it is as a stark realization. Like coming to the end of a book. It's calm concise and comfortable, but there's still some melancholy in it regardless of how it happened.


	17. Lion the Videogame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lion and Steven spend some quality time together in a certain armory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess who already made this chapter a few weeks ago, but forgot to put it here? This guy! Good news is that I have another chapter planned to be uploaded tomorrow if I don't forget, but don't hold your breath.

I rub my hands together trying to keep them warm. The 'It's A Wash" sign glowing faintly. I can't see my father anywhere actually. I jump to the top of the van looking around at the empty streets.

It's time like this that remind me of how truly small this town is, that this is one small place, on a world much bigger. "STEVEN!"

"Hello dad," I answer. It's a generic response, even I can tell that, but it fits.

"Listen," he hesitates searching for the right words," Steven. I know it's hard to realize sometimes, but people die-"

I'm confused. I sit up and stop him in his tracks," and?"

"What do you mean ''and'?"

"Well what else are you saying. I know that death is a thing. My mother died to create me so, that's one thing I'm not allowed to forget. I'm well acquainted with the concept, so I thought I'd be fine if anything like this happened, but the concept and reality are quite different. Oh, don't mind me. I just get honest when I'm tired." I roll over to the side. That sluggish feeling not going away, but I just can't seem to fall asleep myself.

I sit alone to myself simply watching this small town sleep. All the lights are off and there's not a single stir. It's something strangely peaceful. The slowly drifting winds and the rolling seas. I can't see any stars in the sky but the moon's shining as bright as ever. It's comforting. This moment to myself, this time to be alone. I find that I need it more and more. Things have just been becoming so radically different than from what I'm used to. Right when I think I'm getting used to it; everything just get's flipped on it's head. Spinning me round and round in an endless vortex. I lose my bearings so quickly. Forcing me to rethink my grip on reality. It's some cruel irony if you had to ask me, or at least I think. Again, I'm not sure of much right now, but one thing I am sure of is that I am going to stand tall, regardless of what happens. I can't change the past, so I'll resolve to change the future.

I get up and begin walking around the silent town. It seems so different at night than it does in the day. This may be a small town, but it's a lively one. The dead silence of everything, the only sound present is the choosing of the wind and my footsteps on the pier. You can't hear the sounds of cars, nor the sound of the fair rides. There's not even the squawking of any seagulls. Just me in isolation.I make my way to the unmoving Ferris wheel. I clamber up the cars and steel beams until I reach the top cart overlooking everything. It sways a little bit, but it steadies. I can see the entirety of Beach City from here. I can see the pier, to the innermost city and even the suburbs on the edge of town. It really puts this whole place into perspective. Something so utterly small in a universe so big, yet it managed to find a way to mean so much to so many people, and I count myself as one of them. The car shakes a bit as Lion manages to find a way up hear himself joining me on this solemn night.

Sure enough, the solemn night eventually makes it's way to a brand new morning. It's unseasonably warm if you ask me, but that's all for the better. "STEVEN!" I can tell he's not pleased, but he's still smiling in an odd manner.

"Mr. Smiley good morning is how I think this goes."

"What are you doing up there?" He shouts back.

"Not much anymore, really."

"I"m asking why you are up there?"

"I was thinking in all honesty."

"Can you get down!"

"Okay." I walk off the edge of the cart falling down towards the ground. I try to block out Mr. Smiley's panicked screams trying to work something out in my head.

If the earth's gravity is G and my acceleration is A then the proper equation would be something like…I also have to take in mass don't I? I run a series of calculations in my head before coming to an estimated conclusion. I ready myself for coming close to the ground. Mere inches away from the ground I force a jet of flames below me to create something I would assume is akin to a cushion? It leaves black soot on the ground and tosses back and bit, but other than that I'm fine. Lion joins me shortly; he jumps from a portal on the ground. So far everything seems quite good. I'm not hurt and we're not on the cars anymore.

"How's that?"

"Don't jump down from things! What would I have done if you got hurt?"

"Not sure. Didn't really think that was a risk. If I did get hurt my body just patches itself up. Creates scars and sabcs and things of the sort. Granted I'm not familiar with how organic things work."

"What?"

"It's nothing," I dismiss," Lion.." Of course in a matter of seconds, the animal has already managed to disappear.

"Excuse me, I have to find him. Again."

I watch my step as I look through the city, anticipating another mess like last time with holes absolutely goddamn everywhere. Lion after all, has some serious pension for making everything worse somehow. It get's quite grating on the nerves to have to either keep him at my side or within eyesight, otherwise, something's going to happen and by the end of the day I'm going to have a headache. Just telling from my gut feelings I'm gonna have a large one by the end of the day. Especially if Lion doesn't stop stuff like this.

The unseasonal warmth continues onto through the day. It's not warm enough that I'd go around in my normal shirt, but just enough that I get a hot running around. I move past the fry place giving PeeDee a quick hello. I pass It's a Wash again, but still, no luck finding him That in of itself is kind of amazing; you'd think it'd be easier to find a bright pink tiger called Lion, but somehow it's actually a hard task to accomplish. It's even more amazing that I manage to lose track of that! I find a good friend walking by the beach shore on her own again. I won't say that I'm not a little troubled when I see this. I slid down the hills onto the shore to ask a question.

"Hey, Connie have you seen Lion. Preferably somewhere nearby?"

"No! I haven't even seen you in days! Where have you been?"

"Thinking," I quickly tell her searching around.

"Thinking about what?"

"About, Rose, this planet, Homeworld and space and stuff. You know the usual, though right now I'm trying to find Lion."

"Steven listen to me…" I can hear her voice quivering, but stay solid through courage. It's not a foreign thing for me to hear especially now.

"I am listening."

"Steven you can't keep-"

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm just going to stop you there and throw out a wild guess of mine."

"This is about Rose isn't it. Tell me am in the ballpark?"

She doesn't answer, but that's silence is a yes," I understand your worry and concern. It's understandable even. But, it's not that simple. I'm not even totally sure how I feel, so I'd like to figure that out first. I want to see how far I can go." I kick a can that was lying in the sand as a nice physical metaphor for my words.

I'm startled yet at the same time, not all that surprised when Lion shows up from nowhere and just runs after it,"I swear, you exist only to cause me constant confusion." He drops the can at my feet although that is not at all what was going on here.

"You know I'm regretting teaching you how to do that. Connie, do you think I could teach him to not do that?" Something clicks in that simple mind of his. His pupils dilate like he discovered the mysteries of the universe.

"Is he okay," Connie ask.

"Is he ever okay?" He lifts me up in his mouth and begins running off.

"I was wrong you aren't going to give me headache by the end of the day. You already gave me one."

He throws down one of those black spots and just jumps right through it. Wherever we end has me falling into large amounts of shallow water. "This. This is the reason I don't let you do things on your own," I tell him. He doesn't seem to understand.

"Ew. E,w. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew." I head as fast as I can out of the water and to somewhere dry. What I find is a rather large stand with a single pedestal in the middle of it.

I head over to it and regret the fact that I haven't grown. I can't even see the top of it. I can't even tell what it does! The shape of this does seem vaguely reminiscent of something; something that's in the back of my memories. Something that causes my heart to race, and it bugs em that I can't place a finger on what it is. Lion walks over here again carrying me up on his back letting me actually see what I'm messing with. It's one of those hand markers. Simple enough. I place my right hand down and it glows with a faint yellow light.

"Yeah, now this is what I'm talking about."

I switch the different things it has. I find weapons, some armor from the looks of it and Laser Light Cannons. I personally think the latter should be put in a safer spot than someplace Lion can go to with ease. I feel like on day that's going to cause a problem and I'm gonna say 'I told you so'. There's also a statue carrying odd steel balls which is weird. There's also a giant penny which doesn't make a lot of cents if you ask me. Other than that everything seems quite normal. Just a simple out of the way armory. Why Lion took me here? That's a question for another day.

I shift to the final thing and I see something odd. It's a device I think. I'm not sure what. It's large and has three… cannon's maybe? I haven't seen something like this before. I take my hand off the pedestal and things begin to change, Triangles formations poke out the ground and the machine whirs to life. I finally understand what this is. This setting is for training. It explains why Lion brought me here because of an off-hand comment. If only he'd listen this thoroughly all the time. Can't say I'm against this either. This could be fun.

I jump off of Lion running towards one of the spinnings pieces of geometry. Taking advantage of the fact that the machine hasn't fully come to life yet. If I can get a drop on it before it fully realizes I'm even here, I can end this in one go. That was the plan until it started hovering. It scans around looking for a target. It skips right over Lion with no qualm. Clearly, it knows what it's looking for, but can't find it. I circle around to its back. I do see the target you're supposed to hit, but the problem is that I can only jump so high. I'm a little under 5 feet how do you expect me to hit something flying at least ten feet above the ground.

The machine quickly rotates around. Circling its head and then the cannon's right around looking dead at me," can't exactly say I'm surprised." I shift my weight to the side ready to run, but first I need to come up with a simple strategy to win. The first part is know what it can do.

It gives off an eerie glow and launches a blue ball. I'm unimpressed. I step to the side avoiding it with ease. I've seen things move much faster than that. It hits the ground causing a pool of ice to emerge around it. "Well that's… actually kind of impressive."

It changes to yellow and releases another. It moves just as slowly as before, but I make sure to get far out of the splash zone. Sparks run through the ground spreading out and eventually thinning. "Ice, Sparks and let me guess the third is…"

I wait for it to change to the last cannon and fire off a shot. It turns red and the orb is released. This one a bright red. I don't run, but instead and raise my hand up. "Fire…" I smack the ball into the ground and flames explode around it, but this time the advantage is mine.

"I get it. 3 cannons, 3 different types of attacks. Find a way to get rid of something out of your reach."

I watch the machine attack and watch it some more. Figure out everything it can do. It can only float so high off the ground. Each time it hovers over a piece of geometry it rises so that it's always exactly ten feet off the ground. It also follows a pattern. Blue, yellow, red, yellow, blue. There's only one chance in that. Once shot I have at actually winning. I've gotten used to dodging and gotten a feel for the pattern it's just actually getting the orbs to go where I want them. I can bat the red ones as much as I want without any problems, but getting it to hit the machine is a chore. I would try using some mathematics again to figure out where I should aim, but I don't have the time to be doing complex 3 dimensional equations involving 3 moving subjects nonetheless.

"Yellow, RED," I call out taking my chance and hitting the orb back. It swerves to far left and misses it's target completely," yellow, blue."

"Blue, yellow, RED!" I try again striking at the orb again and it skims off the top and only slides behind me. Lion simply watches off the side being such help.

I step back and ready one more time," Blue, yellow, RED!" I wack at it again, but still I get nothing.

It readies it's pattern one more time and I try something new. I hold my hands aiming to not hit it too much. The swing of my arm is getting in the way so if I can just bounce it back. I think I can hit. It sends out a blue one. I dodge that one without much trouble. It releases a yellow one. I make sure to get out of the way of the electricity as it course through the ground. It finally glows red and releases a shot. I hold out my hands it the ball slams right into me. Thankfully it doesn't bust but flies back. Towards the machine. This time it skims its side. I try again. Dodge the blow avoid the yellow and bounce back the red. It hits the mark. The robot swaying in the air. Now I can see my chance. I jump on one of the triangle shaped pieces of ground and leap towards the robot. Using all my weight to continue pulling it down to the ground. Like a bowling pin it, sways and spins, but finally comes down. It smacks into the ground and then glows one more time, but this time it glows green. The triangles fall back into the ground and the machine does the same. Now everything's back to the way it looked like when I first showed up.

I can say I feel confident after that. A good fight was the ego boost I needed. I don't yet have the answer to how I feel about Rose, but now I feel like I'm at least prepared to get the answer soon.


	18. Who were you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven truly begins to ask himself about how exactly he feels about Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Planned to upload this yesterday, but Indiana comicon winded me. Came home and took a fucking nap. I managed to score a cowboy bebop wall scroll along with an FLCL one there. That paired with a Gold Experience figure. I also got a Yu Narakumi plush from persona 4 the animation and a poster of the persona 5 protagonist Akira. All in all it cost me a little over 200 dollars for all that stuff, but my god it was worth it.

“Okay so how do you plan on getting us out,” I ask Lion. He rolls around in the water getting himself more wet. 

“Did that help?” He walks onto the metal platform and then shakes himself off right next to me.

I stand there stunned for a minute,” I’m not sure if you're an idiot or just rude.” He doesn’t seem to hear because he just makes another one of those holes in the ground.

I step though after him falling through the inky blackness. We exit right right back to beach city. I can see the pier and the ocean, but I’m not sure where we are. The land beneath my feet is slowly inching upwards in an arch. The ferris wheel. “Really? You can go literally anywhere, and you choose the one place I was told not be?” 

“STEVEN!” 

“Don’t worry. I’m coming right down.”

The wheel finishes it’s arc and I jump back down to the pavement,” what were you doing on the top of the ferris wheel?” 

“Don’t pop a vein. It was Lion’s idea.” 

“That’s a tiger.” 

“Well, I didn’t know that when I named him.” 

The two of us leave the pier. I sit outside on a patio outside of the pizza shop; Lion keeping himself content by terrorizing the nearby seagulls. The day was sunny, but cool the days and nights were eventually growing colder and colder a warning for it’s foreboding peak. My thoughts gradually drift toward the Beach-A-Palooza.how many people decided to join in on the thing? What kind of performances do they intend to do? What kind of performance do I intend to do? Singing obviously, but what to sing? It’s not like I’ve re ask without hesitation. My eyes staring ally prepared anything. I’ve got a solid grasp of the chords, but there’s not a single song I know off the top of my head. I’m going to have to compose something from scratch. Rose would probably be able to help me with this, but she’s not here. There’s a painful irony to the fact that no matter what my thoughts always lead back to Rose. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Better, but confused,” I tell Garnet. 

She pulls up a chair sitting across from me,” are there any questions you want to ask?” 

“What was Rose,” I ask without hesitation. My eyes are looked ahead, looking past the beach and over the horizon into infinity. 

“What do you mean?” 

“What was Rose?” This is something that catches even the gem that can see the future off guard.

“She was a gem?”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean what did she stand for, what was she like and what made her do what she did? That’s what I’m asking.” 

“That’s quite the open ended question.” 

“Open ended is just another way of saying it doesn’t have one answer.” 

“Do you think you’ll be able to solve this one you’re own?” 

“No. Answer this,” I turn my attention to Garnet with full intention to listen to what she has to say,” who was Rose to you?” 

For a second I could see all three of her eyes through her glasses before they gleam over again,” Rose was… someone who thought everything had value. She stood strong for what she believed was right even if it meant standing against everyone.” 

I stand up, stopping to think for just a minute before calling Lion over to my side,” thanks, I’ll be on my way.” 

“Before you go, here.”

“What?” I open my hands to see that she’s tossed the corrupted gem my way again. 

“Um, can you not?” when I look up I see that she’s already taken her leave to somewhere else. 

I look around town for the other Crystal Gems. I can’t seem to find them anywhere though. Pearls not at the temple, and I don’t think Amethyst really goes there much. I might have passed them and didn’t notice because Lion refuses to work with me. Constantly getting distracted by almost anything. He sees a butterfly and is forced to jump at it! Find a tuft of grass growing in between the sidewalk has to go and sniff it! When he hears a car's horn and just won’t stop barking at the damn thing! Half the time I spend is just pushing him somewhere else. If I left him to just do his own thing I’m sure he’d end up breaking something important.

“C’mon where is the next one.” 

“I’ll really need someone to talk to otherwise I start talkin to myself.” 

The realization hits me hard in a sad way,” too late.” 

“Still doing it…”

“Lion get over here. I look weird without anyone to talk too.”   
I really need to get something that will keep him from wandering off. I stop when I hear something strange. I’m not exactly sure how to put it. It’s kind of like gargling maybe, mixed in with other disgusting sounds. I look underneath the pier to see Amythest eating...things. “Good I was looking for you.” 

“Wassup pal? Ya need somthin’?” 

“An answer.” 

“Is this one of those questions. Ya wanna ask Pearl about those sort of things.”

“But the answer I want is only something you could provide.” 

“Um, okay?” 

She throws a broken plank of wood down her throat before giving me her attention. “Okay, first eating that stuff can’t be healthy.” she shrugs. 

“Second, who was Rose?” 

“Uh…. I’m pretty sure you know who Rose was?” 

“Asking a subjective question. Let me rephrase. Who was Rose too you.” 

“Woah, that’s loaded. You okay?” 

“Probably not, but can I get an answer?” 

“Um Well… I guess you could say Rose was like a mother to me. She was always there. I was alone for a long time until she came along one day. She was always there I suppose.” 

“Alright. Thank you for your time, and Lion don’t eat that.” 

I tear a half rotten plank of wood out of his mouth and throw it into the sea. “Oh, Amethyst. Do you have any idea where I can find Pearl?” 

“Nope. sorry man.” 

“Alright. Thanks for the answer.” 

I wave Amethyst goodbye heading back near the temple. I stop by the car wash for a brief moment. It takes a bit of sifting, but I do finally manage to find what I was looking for. That small guitar thing called a ukulele. I still find that name kind of hard to pronounce. I strap it across my back heading back over near the shores. Back towards the Crystal Gem Temple. I don’t really have any intention to go back to the temple, but towards the lighthouse that sits on the hill above it. I wrangle Lion in and head towards my destination. I put my hand in my pocket feeling the corrupted gem in there. Despite this not being the first time I’ve had one of these on me I still feel uneasy. 

“The air’s kind of cool isn’t it?” 

Lion growls or gorans. It’s one of the two. “That is the most response I’ve gotten since I’ve ever started asking you questions.” 

No response that time. 

I see a blue glow coming from the warp pad in front of the temple. I walk right up to the light ready to greet Pearl. She’s holding a corrupted gem in a bubble. She breathes a relieved sigh, only to see me and be quite startled,” wah! Steven! What are you doing here?” 

“I got a question.” 

“Oh. That’s it. Ask away.” 

“Who was Rose?” 

Her body language shifts significantly. “Why that’s certainly… a loaded question.” 

She thinks for a moment,” Rose was a strong leader of the rebellion against Homeworld forces. Choosing to stand against it on her ideals that all life has value. With unwavering force and charisma she convinced other gems to join her cause in defending what was held so dear to her. She forced back the Homeworld forces saving the Earth with great casualties on her side, but glad that at least Earth was still here.” 

I nod my head. Already having gotten all of what she said along with forming opinions of my own about what she said. I keep those to myself for now. “All right. I think that is all. Thank you Pearl.” 

I turn back to the rocky hill with the lighthouse atop it. I stretch a bit before jumping towards the rocky face. Clinging to it as I begin to climb up it. “Steven. What are you doing?” 

“Getting to the top.” 

“You know you can just walk around it, right?” 

That realization does hit me harder than I would’ve liked it to. “You know what I think you are right.” 

“Sadly. It looks like I’m too high to really stop going at this point. I’ll be sure to take you advice next time,” I call back. 

By the time I reach the top my muscles ache and my fingers scream. I’m partially regretting my actions. The only solace I get is that by the time I finally got here the sun’s begun to set. Making it a beautiful sight to behold. What would a sunset look like on another planet? I think it’d be cool to watch own on a planet with two suns. It’s an interesting thought. A distraction all the same. I force those thoughts back out of my mind and sit against the Lighthouse. Taking out the ukulele. Strumming it a few times while I tune it. I settle on a deeper tone than before. I take out that the corrupted gem in my pocket. Setting it down in front of me in the grass. It’s deep red tone matches that of the sun set. 

I strum the ukulele a few more times before readying myself to sing. 

Who were you- 

“God. That was awful,” I clear my throat and try again. 

Who were you 

Can you tell me how to be just like you 

How to stand up strong 

How to be tall 

So, that I can never fall 

 

You were there when you told me how to fight

You were there even in the darkest night

You’d stand against everyone yo do what you thought was right 

When you’d stand atop your mountain on high 

I wondered how I would ever rise 

 

Who were you 

Can you tell me how to be just like you

How to stand up strong 

How to be tall

So, that I can never fall

 

You were a monolithic deity 

Something that told me to be the best of me   
Always there looming over me 

Standing there through through the good 

And the bad

You told em to give it all I had 

 

Who were you 

Can you tell me how to be just like you

How to stand up strong 

How to be tall

So, that I can never fall

 

You were an idol to many 

They trusted you plenty 

Laid down you're lifes for your own misdeeds 

And mistakes 

That you make 

Did you ever regret 

The one’s that you left 

 

Who were you 

Can you tell me how to be just like you

How to stand up strong 

How to be tall

So, that I can never fall

How I can rise 

To the prize 

And claim it for my own

But, who were you 

What were you 

How can I be just like you 

I can’t why you fought 

With blade in hand 

Taking life with a swift motion of the hand

Till your limbs went numb 

Maybe I’m dumb 

Ot you were just scum  
But, tell me 

Who were you 

Can you tell me how to be just like you

How to stand up strong 

How to be tall

So, that I can never fall

How to rise for the prize 

Even if what I fight for isn’t right 

So, that I can stand there at the end of the night 

I set the ukulele down,” that’s definitely going to need some work.” I sit against the light house watching the sunset.


	20. Chapter 20: For the Love of Fries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven, PeeDee and a costume. Things can't go wrong can they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who has two thumbs and uploads things on time...not me, but if you could you please point me in their direction?

Clouds hang in the sky making the sun. Giving the entirety of Beach city that dead grey look and the people that live here aren't much livelier either. Few are out in times like this and those that are move so slow that they might just freeze up in their tracks. I can soundly say that out of all the season's I experienced on Earth, winter is not my favorite.

I wander the city as aimless as the wind. Not really sure of where to go, or what to do. Just meandering my way past everything. The sky's depressing, the slow way the waves roll on the beach shore is depressing. Everything here is depressing. The grey skies the no hope. It's ominus and way too quiet for it to be comfortable. The way things get hidden in the distance. It's so desolate and remote that I can't keep focus. It makes me think something's just going to jump out at me. I would find something to eat to try and take the edge off, but I'm not sure any store is still open.

I go where my nose leads which is a smell of grease and potatoes; the fry shop. I see something just standing in the distance, whatever it I don't like it, I like it even less once I get closer. I'm not sure what it is. It doesn't look human. It doesn't look like a corrupted gem. It looks like those cardboard boxes of fries sprouted legs and came to life. I walk around it never letting my eyes go away from that piercing lifeless stare. It does eem to bee about as lifeless as the city. Just leaning on a wall.

"Fries, Reynaldo."

"What are you staring at," he ask.

"Whatever the hell that is...should I be concerned? Should I call the gems or do we just leave it be?"

"That's PeeDee."

"Is he okay?"

"...he's just wearing a costume."

"...what's a costume."

"You...don't have costumes where you come from?"

"Would I be asking if we did?"

"A costumes just...," Reynaldo pulls out his phone and reads off of it," a particular set of clothes."

"Why is he dressed like that?"

"Dad asked him too."

"Why did he do that?"

"I don't know."

"Can someone help me get this off," PeeDee's muffled voice begs.

Ronaldo looks at me unwilling to stop doing… nothing really. PeeDee doesn't care who helps him, he just wants some. "Alright, so...how does this work?"

"Just grab onto this."

"The head?"

"Yes the head."

"You want me to take your head off?"

"No, the mask."

"This?"

"Yes. That. It doesn't come off easy.

"Alright you ready. 3.. 2.. 1..!" I reel back with the mask in my hand. It slides off easier then he said it would. I stumble back almost falling flat on my behind.

"I thought you said it wouldn't come off easy?"

"It doesn't Do you lift or something?"

"Lift… what?"

"Nevermind," PeeDee sighs.

PeeDee just kind of throws the costume to the side, not really caring what happens to it. We walk and talk as we wander around the docks of Beach City. The gloomy atmosphere of beach city must be getting to PeeDee. The conversation is depressing and existential. It's nice to have a conversation this kind of conversation with someone. I myself have a habit of focusing my thoughts doing the exact same thing sometimes. Asking questions that have no real answer. Even the answers you do get aren't the only reasonable ones. Having someone to discuss it with is nice. That's they way I'd put it at least.

"What have you been up to, Steven?"

"I'm not to sure actually."

"What does that mean?"

"...I'm not sure actually."

"You have no idea what you're doing do you," PeeDee chuckles.

"I'm not going to say I do."

PeeDee takes me to the front of the Fun-Land arcade. We're not going to use any of the video games inside, but two things on the outside. I was wondering what they did for the longest time. PeeDee stics a coin in the slot and sits on the sea-horse. It slowly begins rocking back and forth. Slowly. Is that it? I thought it'd be something a bit more… frantic? It certainly isn't like the bigger rides in Funland.

"That is depressing."

"It's fun. Just slowly rocking back and forth. It reminds me of my childhood"

"Your childhood is depressing."

"I know it is."

PeeDee continues," sometimes don't you think you're missing out."

"Missing out on what?"

"Stuff from your childhood. Like what did you enjoy when you were growing up."

"I wasn't supposed to enjoy things. I just did as I told," I tell him.

"You still had to enjoy something."

"Nope. Can't think of anything."

PeeDee sighs looking solemnly at the ocean," you ever think the time is just running away? Like there's something you want to do, but you just don't have the time to get it done. Time is just running out."

Time is just running out? Something about that strikes a chord with me."Care to explain that a little more?"

"Like.. somethings just eating up your time that you should spend doing something else."

"What's got you thinkin like this," I ask.

"This stupid job!"

"...the fry thing?"

"Yes! The fry thing!"

"I think the suit looks...cool."

"You lie."

"Yeah. That thing scares me."

"You fight monsters."

"That isn't one of those. I can kill those, that is alive in the first place."

"If it was I wouldn't have to wear it."

"Explain."

"It's a costume. If it's were alive it could move on it's own and I wouldn't have to do this."

A light bulb -as people on Earth would say it- goes off in my head. "PeeDee I have an ide!"

"Will it work!"

"Yeah. It'll probably go wrong faster than either of us will believe, but it'll work for a bit."

PeeDee weighs it for a literal second before he agrees. "I'm on board!"

"Alright!"

"You get the costume I'll handle the animation." With a high five my plan -that will go wrong in due time- begins.

I start off by heading to the temple. That's actually the only place I need to go. For once this problem is simple and will be handled is just a few minutes. It will need to be solved in an hour though. I run through the sand sliding to a stop in front of the statue. Now I just need to figure out some method of getting in. I have one. I concentrate and surround myself in one of those...suspension bubbles? They don't actually have a name for this do they? I thought this would be harder, but it was actually pretty easy. Super easy. I'm transported to an orange tinted room. There's a collection of gems bubbled here, many of them I recognize from the last time I was here. I do recall seeing some Gem Shards in a few of these bubbles. Getting there? No how do I do that?

"What are you doing?"

"Hey Garnet."

Garnet looks up at me trapped in my own bubble. Have we met under better circumstances? Yes. Have we met over far worse? More often that not. We sit in silence for a moment. She doesn't move. I notice she does that a lot. If there was nothing else moving I would think I was looking at a really detailed picture.

"What are you doing?"

"Need Gem Shards."

"Why?"

"For a plan that in all likelihood will go wrong before.. I don't actually now the time."

"Will you promise to clean the mess up?"

"I don't know. You're the one that can see the future."

She sighs and takes a off reddish bubble filled with gem shards. The bubbles of her own making. What was the story behind that? I decide to ask later. I have something to do right now anyway

She pops my bubble and I land on the grand with a flip for no other reason than I felt like it. "Thanks Garnet."

"You better fix this once it goes wrong."

"Don't worry I will."

I pop Garnet's bubble. I put it in my pocket, regret that decision, and then just carry them in my hand. Otherwise things could get bad before they even start. I hop off the hood of a parked car, bounding off a branch of a tree, swinging from the Big Donut sign and landing on the roof. Honestly, not too shabby. The dark cloudy skies have made me feel really sluggish. Exercise seems to help. Exercise. That's actually one thing I did enjoy. The only thing I enjoyed actually. Damn, that's depressing. This entire day has been depressing.

PeeDee's sitting on the curb with the suit next to him looking out into the serene ocean. He screams in fear when I smash down next to him," hi how ya doin," I greet.

"Where'd you come from?"

"The roofs."

"Why?"

"I was running on the roofs."

"Why?"

"...why not?"

PeeDeee shakes his head," it doesn't matter. Do you have the stuff."

"Yeah, but I don't know why you're phrasing it like this is some sort of drug deal."

I toss him the shards. Each of them has this light blue tint to them. In the fragments they are I can't tell what gem they formed when whole. "What do I do with these?"

"Just put them in the thing."

PeeDee heeds my words and sticks all the shards in the things mouth. It lays still for a second; wiggles a lot. It then rolls around on the boardwalk. I'm not going to lie. It was funny. It stops again, grows legs made of fries which… less funny. It turns to face us and I'm reminded exactly how much I hated this thing. It was less terrifying as a costume and not a monster.

"This is amazing."

"No it's not."

PeeDee either doesn't care or doesn't listen," okay I need you to get people to eat fries-"

"Rephrase that because that is a monkey's paw waiting to happen," I warn.

"Where'd you learn about a monkey's paw?"

"Books are cool."

He turns back to the costume," advertise our shop to the best of your abilities without breaking the laws, you understand?" The costume nods and goes on it's jolly-old-merry old way.

"I thought that would have been WAY worse," I mumble.

"That's one way to solve the issue."

"Where do you come from Garnet?"

"That's a trade secret," Garnett pushes up her glasses while saying that, but I bet she just looked into the future to find out where we where.

"Is this all a part of your 'mysterious' motif you're trying make?"

"Heh' mysterious," she chuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to leave a comment I'll try to get back to those I can.


	21. Warp Stream Paranoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven thinks he spots something in the warp-streams. He has a few vague ideas about what it could be. For the first time and hopefully only in his life, he hopes he's wrong as he chases it down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Shows up 3 months late with Starbucks and a two-parter story* Wassup chuckle fucks I'm here with another chapter. I mostly forgot about this and did a NaNo story. Got a little over halfway through with that, but didn't hit the goal. Regardless read the chapter leave a kudos, and subscribe if you want to stay updated with the story. a review would be greatly appreciated.

I bounce a pebble with one foot like a hacky sack. It's not hard, actually, it's really easy. It just looks harder than it actually is. My biggest issue was finding a pebble that wasn't lopsided. Eventually, I kick the pebble into the sea. It sails through the air blending into the grey skies before plopping into the sea. Lion rushes past me chasing after it. Of course, it's fallen into the sea, and he's too stupid to know that so he just keeps on running, he runs past where it falls and runs right out over the horizon. I knew he wasn't smart, but he's not going to find that pebble anytime soon. I'm certainly not going to look for him.

I exhale; my breath forming a small foggy cloud in front of my face. When that first happened I was quite surprised. I didn't think it actually got that cold anywhere on Earth. Things have been getting colder recently. Colder and slower. Nothing much has happened recently. Just a bunch of quiet days and nights, colder and colder days. You can't even see any clouds and can barely see the sun. The skies are just a boring gray. Disheartening… yeah, that's the way you could describe it. Reading that dictionary wasn't useless at least. I consider going back to the library to get another book. It'd give me something to do, especially since nothing's going on.

I look over my shoulder at the Crystal Gem Temple to my back. The gems haven't really done much either. I thought the Red Eye might put them on high alert, but they were like that for a week before they went back to normal. In fact, they seem to have been slowly getting more and more lax… lethargic, that's a better way to describe it. The atmosphere must be getting to them too. They don't spend as much time hunting down corrupted gems as before that's for sure. Nor do they act up as often either. Nothing has been happening at all. I've been struggling to find something do for that one reason. Learning about what hacky sack was was a neat way to pass time for a few hours, but I did nothing productive and my legs just tired.

Lion somehow manages to show up. Even more, he shows up with something in his mouth that isn't the pebble. I take it from him and toss it back into the ocean, holding him back from going off again. "Steven," Pearl calls.

"What!?" I would turn around, but holding back Lion is no easy task.

"You wanna join us?"

"Gimme a second."

I haul Lion on top of my shoulders. He fights it like a baby, but eventually, we make it work. Amethyst gestures for me to hurry up. I carry him onto the warp-pad barely managing to fit the four of us. Garnet pushes up her glasses and the warp pad lights up. We're slowly lifted off the ground and into the air as the warp steam takes us away. Apparently, Lion doesn't handle warping too well, especially when it's not his. He begins to squirm.

"C'mon now. Stop it," I order. He never listens.

"Can you get your tiger, please?"

"I'm trying!"

Lion continues to squirm and shift. I try to get him to sit still by force or not, but he refuses. He swipes around at the air like a putts. Everyone begins to forget about Lion and just tries to keep from falling out of the stream. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl do fine, I don't. Lion paws me in the face forcing my head just outside the warm steam. The light splashes against the back of my head and my lungs can't get any air. Of course, I was told what to do if you ever find yourself outside a warp stream. You don't try to breathe as there is no atmosphere, you don't try to open your mouth as the saliva would freeze, blink often and fast to keep your eyes from freezing shut, or freezing open. This is the first time I ever found myself outside of the warp-stream and in the warp-space. The entire place is a yellowish color and other liquid-esque streams wind and wraps around. If this place wasn't so dangerous I wouldn't have any arguments with staying to look at it some more. Something does catch my eye. It's round and moves fast, and unnatural. Not like a gem, or human. My heart almost stops when I consider the worst possibility.

Before I can truly figure out what it is I'm pulled right out of the warp stream," Steven! Steven!"

"Yes, what? What? I'm fine, geez." I turn around wanting to check out the warp-space a little bit more, but Pearl stops me.

"Come here! Are you hurt," she begins to do a full physical exam on me, but she's interrupted when we all fall to the ground when the warp stream ends. I bounce off the pad into the hot sand.

I dust the sand out of my hair," what are we doing back here?" Pearl doesn't answer she just resumes her physical exam.

"Just a check up on things," Garnet answers.

"Well, you have fun. I'll watch Lion near the warp pad."

Garnet considers it for a moment," alright, just don't go shooting off through the warp-pads just to get a look at the warp-space."

"What? It never crossed my mind."

Garnet raises an eyebrow. She's right, that is what I wanted to do, and I'll probably do it anyways. Garnet realizes this and relents," alright. Just be careful there still are dangerous things out there."

"I know. I'll be careful."

Garnet reaches into Pearl's bag and tosses me a few heat packs. We share a nod and the Crystal Gems walk off," dang. Thought you brought those as snacks," Amethyst says as they disappear over a dune silhouetted by the sun.

I turn towards the warp-pad with the heat packs in hand. I step onto the pedestal with Lion bounding forward to join me. Without a gesture, I'm swallowed by the light. I hand all the heat packs. I stick my head back out of the light and look around. The warp-space still looks undeniably beautiful. Still, I'm a second too late. Whatever light from the warp stream that was there barely dodges my sight. The light fading out just as I poke my head out. I grumble and pulls my head back in. The light stream finishes and I'm brought back outside of the Gem Temple.

"That was a bust," I tell Lion," stop that!"

In his mouth is a heat pack. He looks me dead in the eye and chews faster. I try to stop him, but his fangs tear open the pack easily. He chews on it for a bit before he sits back up constantly opening his mouth over and over like he ate a pepper. The back of the pack says it's non-toxic though I doubt Lion could get sick judging from half the things he puts in his mouth. I can't say temptation doesn't get the better of me. I dab my finger in the solution and put on my tongue. It's salty and bitter… sodium-acetate? And yes it does start to burn after a while though not in a bad way. Kind of like the way a pepper does, not a hobby I recommend to anyone who doesn't want their tongue burning for what the package says "3-4 hours". I'm going to have to get used to the burning, aren't I?

What am I doing? I throw the heat pack to the ground realizing that I was doing something aside from putting things in my mouth that clearly shouldn't be there. I get back onto the warp pad practically dragging Lion along with me, and the heat packs in hand. It's a little harder than before to get the warp-pad working when your mouths burning, but I manage. I stick my head back out of the warp stream to again look for the thing. I almost catch what I'm looking for. Inside a distant warp-stream is a circular shadow zipping by. My worst case scenario becomes more and more possible when I get my second glimpse. The stream ends placing both me and Lion back in the desert. I look around futilely for my target. It's just sand, sand, stupidly large amounts of sand.

I get back on the warp-pad sifting through all the locations I know like the Lunar Sea Spire, the Strawberry battlefield, and even places I don't know. There's this Clock-Tower. The warp pad it at its base and the entire thing stretches up towards the sky. I can hear the loud booming ticks as clock ticks on. Despite my curiosity, I head back to the warp-pad pressing a heat pack to my face. What I'm looking for isn't here.

The next places I explore are less interesting. A crater, an empty field of grass I explore is a shrine under the ocean. A glass dome surrounds the place giving me a full view of the ocean floor. The inside is filled with hourglass; some big some small. I know better than to mess with them, and honestly, I don't want to spend any more time here than I have to. Lion is a walking hazard, and being under the water like this makes me feel all queasy. I head back to the warp-pad and send off because what I'm looking for isn't here.

The next place I check is new to me as well. The air here is brisk, and the vegetation full of life. An overgrowth of vegetation and freshwater waterfalls. The air here is clean and pure. The beautiful orange sunset in the distance. It all pisses me off. Maybe it's the burning in my mouth, the constant bouncing around places, or the lingering suspicions in the back of my mind; maybe it's a mixture of them all. I wasted my entire day chasing something that I couldn't find.I gesture for Lion to stop digging in the dirt and follow me. He doesn't listen. He continues scraping away the soil. I throw one of the heat packs at his head to get his attention and get his attention it does. He picks the heat pack up in his mouth and begins to run off with it. I wave it off. Even if I don't get him he'll show back up eventually. That was the last heat pack though.

In no time at all the underbrush shakes a little," you see? This is why you don't eat heat packs."

Finally, something pushes past the grass showing itself. A small spherical robot. 4 peggy little legs hold it up. Almost like its instincts that have been ingrained since I was born I dash towards it and send it flying with a single kick. It smashes against a palm tree; fluid trickling out of the crack on the surface. I place my foot on top of the delicate surface and press down. Pop, like a balloon it's gone. I wipe the fluid off my boot with the coarse grass. For once Lion comes running back without me needing to call for him. Though something's strange. Hr doesn't even try to lick the repair fluid from the robonoid. He goes right to the warp pad and paces around like a child. The undergrowth begins to shake again. Another robonoid? I ready myself to smash another thing underneath my foot. Robonoids are just Robonoids. They have no actual skill for combat or durability. Just an en masse sort of deal. I would have already smashed this one too, but I didn't know that they got so… big.


End file.
